3rd & Lucky
by FloatYourBoat21
Summary: Meet Brittany S. Pierce... one of the nicest and most popular girls at McKinley High. However, once Brittany reveals her deepest secret, will that still be true? Follow Brittany as she navigates through some of the pressures of being a teenager, growing up in a small town (with a little help from her best friend, Santana). AU Brittana multi-chapter fic.
1. Meet Brittany

**3****rd**** & Lucky**

_Pacing..._

It's a nervous habit I've developed over the years. Whenever I'm feeling anxious about something, pacing back and forth usually helps calm me down so that I can finally gather myself and sort through the thoughts inside my head. But at this moment, it seems to be having the exact opposite effect.

_Why am I so nervous?_

Maybe because I have no idea how this conversation is going to turn out. As I continue to pace back and forth, I'm acutely aware of the mocha-colored eyes staring at me.

"Britt, can you please just tell me what's going on?" my best friend says to me. "You're really starting to freak me out."

It's not like I'm purposely ignoring her. I mean, I heard what she said, but for some reason, I just can't seem to stop myself from continuing to freak out. It's almost like my brain has registered what she said but my body refuses to cooperate.

_But what can I do?_

How do I tell my best friend of almost 10 years my deepest and darkest secret?

* * *

My name is Brittany S. Pierce. I'm 15 years old and tomorrow I will start my Sophomore year at McKinley High. I've got blonde hair with blue eyes and I'm freakishly tall for my age (and for being a girl). My best friend is Santana Lopez (but don't tell Lord Tubbington... he gets jealous). She's also 15, has dark hair, deep brown eyes (often covered by black-rimmed glasses) and caramel-colored skin. Santana and her family moved into the house next to mine when I was 6. Since our very first meeting, we've been inseparable... just like peas and carrots.

Santana and I are both very intelligent people, but out of the 2 of us... she's the bigger nerd (but if you tell her that, she'll respectfully disagree... she can be stubborn like that). While I'm the captain of the dance team and the star hitter for the Varsity volleyball team, Santana is more of a homebody. She's the captain of the Mathletes and probably _the_ best swimmer at our school.

Although we have so many differences, we also have a lot in common. For instance, we both have a deep and profound love for the show _The Big Bang Theory_. We love the show so much that we even started a club at school. Santana's the president while I'm her second in command (again, she's the bigger nerd). We're both also in the Beta club, National Honors Society club, and the Future Farmers of America club (I'm totally joking about the last one). And to top it all off, hopefully we will be able to continue our reign as President (me) and Vice President (Santana) of the student council for the Sophomore class.

With all that being said, I guess what I'm getting at is that Santana and I have been through a lot together. We've always had each other's backs throughout everything and there is nothing I wouldn't do for that girl. She knows practically everything about me. Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself. I guess that's why I'm so afraid of what I have to tell her.

_What if it changes things between us?_

_What if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore?_

That would kill me, but I can't hide this secret from her anymore.

I guess it's time to find out...

* * *

As I'm about to burn a hole through the floor, a tanned hand placed upon my shoulder halts my movements. As Santana stands in front of me, I finally look up and meet her caring, but very worried eyes.

"Brittany... whatever it is, just tell me," she softly speaks, "… you know you can tell me anything."

It's true and I know that. Still... it doesn't make this any less nerve-racking.

"It's just..." I start off shakily, "I don't want you to hate me..."

"B, I could never hate you... you're my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

I let her words sink in. She's right... she's absolutely right. I just need to build up the courage to rip off this Band-Aid.

"It's just... lately I've been... I feel..." I can't seem to form a complete sentence.

Talking has never been difficult for me, especially when it comes to Santana. Sensing my apprehension, Santana links her pinkie with mine. It's something that we started a long time ago. Whenever one of us was scared or unsure about something, the other would link our pinkies together to show their support. It seems like such a simple gesture, but it meant the world to me.

"I'm not like most girls our age..." I start off again, hesitantly. "I'm not normal..."

"I already knew that, ya big weirdo," Santana playfully chides. In return, I playfully roll my eyes at her.

"I'm so scared to tell you this... more scared than I've ever been in my life," I continue, starting to build up my confidence. "I'm more scared to tell you than my own parents..."

Santana slightly tilts her head and scrunches her eyebrows as she tries to process what it is that I'm saying. As I see the cogs in her head begin to turn, I try my best to finally get this boulder off my chest.

"I-I... I'm..."

"Gay?" Santana says, finishing my statement. My eyes immediately widen.

_How did she know?_

"What... is that not the right term?" she ponders. "Bi, lesbian, lady lover, rug mun—"

"_Okay_, that's enough," I cut her off, only to see her trying so hard to hold back her own laughter. "How are you taking this so easily?"

"Because it's not a big deal," she begins. "I mean it _is_ a big deal for _you_ and finally coming to terms with your sexuality, but it doesn't define who you are as a person. Other people might make a big stink out of it because they're ignorant and uneducated, but you know what I say ... fuck 'em! You're still the same Brittany to me."

And there it is, the reason why I know that everything's gonna be okay_... Santana_.

Why I ever doubted that she would be anything less that supportive and happy is beyond me. Without even saying the words, she knew exactly what I was thinking and struggling to say aloud. All the fears and insecurities that have been swirling inside my head since I came to this realization suddenly drifted away just because of how awesome she is.

As we take a seat towards the edge of my bed, I'm thankful that I have such an amazing best friend.

"How did you know?" I question.

"I don't know..." she starts off. "I guess I just found it odd that you've never shown any interest in any of the guys at school. I mean, you're smart and funny and by far the most beautiful girl in Lima... seriously, you could have any guy you want. Yet, you've turned every boy down."

Again, I don't know how she does it. Santana always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. Not only did she just give me the biggest compliment, but she did it so effortlessly... like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Plus, you do spend an _awful_ amount of time talking about Jennifer Lawrence..."

"Shut up!" I playfully scold as I give her a little shove. "But seriously though... you're okay with this?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know... maybe cuz there are gonna be people out there that hate me because of who I'm attracted to, rather than who I am as I person?"

"Like I said... fuck 'em! The only people's opinions that should matter at all to you are those of your family and closest friends."

I nod my head in agreement.

"I do have a question though..." Santana speaks again. I give her a nod to continue. "Why were you more scared to tell me than your parents?"

"Honestly... my parents might end up being very disappointed, blame themselves, and then try to figure out '_where it all went wrong'_, but they'll still be my family," I respond. "Although their opinion should matter more to me, it doesn't because you're the most important person in my life. Even the mere thought of possibly losing you over anything, rather big or small, is terrifying."

"Aww, Britt... c'mere," she says as she brings me into a tight embrace. "You don't ever have to worry about losing me... I'm not going anywhere."

"Thanks San... you're the bestest friend a girl could ask for!"

"Yeah, I know..." she replies with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You're very modest too..." I retort. She laughs in response.

"So, are there any special ladies you have your eye on?"

"No, not really... I mean, there are a lot of cute girls at our school, but that's not the reason I thought it was time for me to come out."

"Oh, okay. So what did make you want to do it now?" Santana ponders.

"Well, I'll be 16 in a few months and be able to get my driver's license so that if I do meet a pretty girl, I won't have to rely on my Mom or Dad to give me a ride to pick up my date."

"Yeah, that would be totally embarrassing," she says in between giggles.

"Plus, we start Sophomore year tomorrow so I thought it would be a great opportunity to start off the new year... no more hiding."

"Well, you know I've got your back if any of those bitches at school give you a hard time," Santana assures. "Plus, you know the guys will have your back as well."

"Yeah, I do... it's just a matter of having to tell everyone repeatedly."

"Speaking of telling everyone... when are you gonna tell your parents?

"I don't know... probably after you leave," I reply.

"I could stay, if you want..."

"I think I would really like that," I say as I link my pinkie with hers.

"You know that you actually have to say the words, right?" Santana questions.

"Yeah... I know," I state solemnly. "What if I can't do it?"

"You're Brittany S. Pierce... you can do anything!" Santana says as she squeezes my pinkie and stands up, bringing me with her. "Pretend I'm them and just say it."

"Okay..." I state slowly as I take a deep breath. "Mom, Dad..."

I pause to take another deep breath. Santana then gives me a nod of encouragement.

"My name is Brittany Susan Pierce..." I start again with more confidence, "and I'm gay! I'm as gay as a unicorn skipping along a rainbow!"

"That a girl!" Santana says with a big smile. "I think you're ready."

"As ready as I'll ever be... I supposed."

"Don't worry... I got your back, Jack!" Santana says with a wink.

_Yeah... I think I'm finally ready. _

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Happy New Year everyone! I figured what better way to start off the New Year and mark my one year anniversary as a FanFic writer than to publish a brand new story?! Anyways, this story will be a little different because it will start off on focusing more on the Brittana friendship and the meddling of other characters… but have no fear; as always, Brittana is endgame! Hope you enjoy! Next update will be the final chapter of _**Recipe for Disaster**_, fyi.

**-Kris **

**Disclaimer:**

I **DON'T** own Fox, _Glee_, or _The Big Bang Theory_.


	2. That's What Friends Are For

After my little pep talk with Santana, I finally made my way downstairs and told my parents. Surprisingly enough, my Mom and Dad were very supportive and not at all shocked. In fact, my Dad seemed more relieved than anything, probably because he wouldn't have to worry about me getting knocked up by some pre-pubescent boy.

During my conversation with my parents, the thing that kind of shocked _me_ is what happened after Santana went home. Like Santana, my parents were curious if there was a particular girl that I was interested in that would further explain why I decided to come out now. When I said _no_, my Mom seemed like she was expecting a different answer, but ultimately settled for the one I gave her.

It wasn't until I was going to bed and overheard my parents talking in the living room that my mother's earlier reaction made sense.

"I thought for sure she was gonna say that she and Santana were dating," my Mom states.

I'm immediately taken back by her casual statement.

"Right?! That's exactly what I was thinking," my Dad replies. "Those 2 have been attached at the hip since the Lopezes moved in."

"I know..." my Mom responds. "I love Santana to death. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that our Brittany finds a girl that's just as good as her."

"Agreed," my Dad concurs. "I just hope the kids at school don't mistreat Brittany once they find out. I would seriously hate having to punch a kid in the throat in my daughter's honor…"

"_Oh, James_... I love it when you get all over-protective," my mother says in a lower tone than normal.

As my Mom scoots closer to my Dad and I see her hand start rubbing my his leg, I decide to skip the "_goodnight's_" and head straight to my room before I see something that will scar me for life.

As I lay in bed replaying my parents' conversation, I can't help but think about what they were saying about Santana. Don't get me wrong... Santana is amazing and definitely possesses a lot – _if not all_ – of the qualities I would want in a potential girlfriend.

_But... Santana's not gay._

Santana is my best friend and that's all we'll ever be. Besides, even if there was the slightest possibility that she might be into chicks, I doubt that I would even be on her radar. I'm just grateful that she graciously accepted me for who I am, not who I date. The last thing I would want to do is make her feel uncomfortable by making it seem like I'm hitting on her every time we hang out now.

* * *

The next day at school, I met my friends in the quad before homeroom. I didn't feel as anxious or nervous about telling them like I was with Santana or my parents. As expected, everyone was very warm and receptive.

"That's awesome Britt!" Sam exclaims, giving me a high five. "We can totally be each other's wingmen at parties!"

"Yeah, _sure_... that's exactly what I was hoping for," I say with a faux excitement. I catch Santana's eye behind him. She's grinning like a Cheshire cat. I guess Sam must've caught on to my sarcasm. "Haha... very funny guys. _Excuse_ me for trying to be a supportive friend."

Sam's kicked puppy expression sends everybody over the edge as we all double over from laughter.

"There there, Sammy boy... everything's going to be alright," Santana mocks as she pats him on the back. In return, Sam turns away from her.

"Well, can I just say that this is wonderful news Brittany!" Rachel says excitedly while clasping her hands together.

"Thanks Rach," I respond back.

"This calls for a musical number!" Rachel exclaims.

"_NO RACHEL!_" everyone says in unison.

_Leave it to Rachel to be more excited about my gayness than me._

"Honestly Britt, that's great news. I hope you find your Mrs. Right soon," Mike says.

"And you let us know if any of those cheerleader bitches give you a hard time," Mercedes says with her classic head bob and finger snaps. "Me and Satan will take care of them."

"Please don't call me that, Mercedes... I've asked you repeatedly not to call me that," Santana mumbles out as she pushes her glasses further up on the bridge of her nose. She's so cute when she does that.

I know Mercedes doesn't mean anything by her comment and really just does it to give Santana a hard time; I, on the other hand, find it absolutely hilarious. Santana is like the complete opposite of a hard ass. In fact, I don't think she would be able to hurt a fly. She's just the sweetest person ever. I guess that's just the norm in our group; we all give each other a hard time, but it's simply out of love.

"Thanks guys, I really do appreciate all of your support..." I begin, "no matter how _odd_ or _overzealous _it might be. I'm just really thankful to have great friends like you."

Honestly, without friends like them, I don't know how I would make it through high school in Lima. Sure, there's a good possibility that I might lose my ranking in the social hierarchy at McKinley, but y'know what... I don't really give a rat's ass. The most important thing to me is making sure that I stay true to myself. If other people around here don't like it, then to quote Santana… _fuck 'em!_ As long as I have the support of my family and my _real_ friends, I will always persevere.

"I gotta go meet with my coach real quick so I'll catch up with you guys later," I say to the group. "See ya in homeroom, San!" I saw with wink and a simultaneous finger pistol.

Is it lame_... yes_. But that's just how we roll.

* * *

"So... Brittany's into the ladies," Mercedes states to no one in particular. "That's cool. It's about damn time this place got some diversity."

"What are you even talking about?" Mike questions. "You're black, I'm Asian, Rachel's Jewish, and Santana's Hispanic... you can't get much more diverse than that."

"I'm just saying... I don't think it's a coincidence that most of the diverse people in this school happen to hang out with each other," Mercedes retorts. "I mean, think about... everyone else in this school is a rich little white girl or boy."

"Mercedes, do you always have to resort to some type of racial stereotype with every situation?" Rachel inquires.

"Of course... you guys cast me to play the part of the bitchy black girl in your little group," Mercedes answers. "How could I possibly hold up my end if I didn't make at least _one_ racially motivated remark per day?"

"She does have a point there," Santana responds. Mercedes reaches over and gives a fist bump to the Latina.

"So Specs, how are you holding up with this new found information?" Mercedes questions. "I'm assuming that Britt already told you ahead of time based on your lack of reaction when she told all of us."

"Yeah, she told me last night," Santana responds.

"_And?_" Rachel asks giddily.

"And what?" Santana responds with a questionable look as she glances around the table at her friends.

"How do you feel about it?" Sam asks.

"Um... I feel fine?" Santana answers. When she receives skeptical looks from her friends, she continues. "Like seriously, I feel like you guys are trying to get at something here without saying the actual words. Could someone please just tell me what's going on?"

"Well, I guess what everyone is _so_ subtly not trying to say is... did something happen between you and Brittany?" Mike finally says.

"Something like what?" Santana ponders.

"Oh, c'mon... you know what he means!" Mercedes exclaims.

"Actually, I don't... and you guys are really starting to freak me out," Santana states as she stands up from the table. "I'll see you guys later, y'know... when you're acting _less_ weird."

As Santana heads to class, the rest of the group remains at the table.

"So... did anyone else think that in addition to coming out, Brittany was also gonna announce that her and Santana were an item?" Sam asks the group.

"Thank God I wasn't the only one who was thinking that!" Rachel agrees. "I mean, it's _so _painfully obvious that they're perfect for each other."

"Yeah, I mean... even Helen Keller could see that shit," Mercedes claims.

"_Mercedes!_" Mike scolds.

"What?! I was trying to further drive Rachel's point home," Mercedes defends.

"I think you may need a sensitivity course or something," Mike suggests.

"Naw... I don't think you guys would like me as much if I got too soft," Mercedes states.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sam responds.

"So, do you guys think something will happen between them... eventually?" Mike asks.

"I don't know," Sam answers. "I mean, we know now that Brittany is attracted to the ladies. But what about Santana?"

"Who knows... I've never seen or heard her talk about anyone she's been attracted to," Rachel explains.

"Well, I guess only time will tell," Mercedes says. "I'll keep my fingers crossed for those 2 though."

"Aww, see guys... she does have a heart," Mike jokes.

"You all can kiss my big black ass," Mercedes responds.

"_Oh Mercedes..._" Rachel says as everyone else shakes their heads at the resident bad ass of their group.

* * *

_A few minutes later in homeroom...  
_  
"So, what did Coach Washington want to talk to you about?" Santana asks.

"_Well_..." I draw out for suspense, "she officially wanted to tell me that she's making me Captain of the team!"

"No shit?! That's awesome Britt! Congrats!" Santana squeals as she attacks me with a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks San! I'm pretty excited about it," I respond. "I just hope that I don't get shit from the 3 seniors on the team when coach tells everyone at practice today."

"So what if they do... you deserve this Britt!" Santana declares. "There's no one who works harder than you. If the seniors can't handle it, then maybe they should step their game up."

"Maybe. Ya know, you're pretty athletic San... maybe you should think about coming out for the team," I casually state.

"Nah, volleyball is your thing," she replies. "Besides, if I'm on the team, how can I cheer you on and make obnoxious comments from the stands?"

"You do raise a good point, Madame Lopez," I state with a posh accent. Santana giggles in response.

"I'll just see Coach Washington when swim season is back in," Santana begins. "_Unless..._"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you're just trying to get me to undress in front of you..." she poses.

"What?! No... that's not what I was saying at all," I reply, beginning to panic a little.

"Britt, I'm totally just fucking with you," Santana says in between laughs.

"Fuck, that's not funny San!" I exclaim as I slap her arm. "Do you know how many girls at this school are probably gonna be wondering that same thing once word gets out about me?"

"I'm sorry, Brittany... you know I didn't mean anything by it," Santana apologizes. "I was just kidding. Please don't be mad."

I take a moment to gather myself before I look back at Santana.

"I'm not mad..." I finally respond. "I'm just really worried about how everyone else is gonna react. As far as I know, I'm the only gay kid at this school... well, the only one that's out. The last thing I need to hear is my _best friend_ making _those_ kinds of comments or wondering about _those_ types of things."

"I really am sorry, Britt... I was just trying to joke around with you to let you know that things are still the same between us."

"I know... I'm sorry I over-reacted a little," I sympathize. "I'm also sorry I hit you so hard... I saw you wince."

"It's okay, I deserved it," Santana responds as she rubs her arm. "How bout we meet up for milkshakes after you're done with practice?"

"Sounds good," I reply. "Oh, and Santana..."

"Yeah?"

"I can see you half naked anytime I want to..." I whisper softly into her ear. "I just have to come to one of your swim meets," I state with a wink as our teacher gathers everyone's attention to start class.

The "_deer caught in headlights_" look that is plastered on Santana's face is more than enough for me to feel victorious.

_Pierce 1, Lopez 0..._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_So_... I lied. As you can see, this is not an update for _**Recipe for Disaster**_. _My bad_. I promise that I have been working on it… it's just taking longer than expected, trying to figure out exactly how I want to end it. Hopefully this will curb your appetite for now :)

As always, you guys are amazing!

**-Kris**

**Disclaimer:** I own **NOTHING!**


	3. Adapting to Change

After Brittany's announcement of her love for the ladies, the next couple months of Sophmore year went on without a hitch. There was one point when I found it a little weird with some of the questions or offhand comments the guys would make towards me and my feelings about Brittany being gay. Ultimately, I chalked it up to our friends just busting my balls for their own amusement.

_Moving along_...

Everyone that knew about Brittany's big news took it very well. Britt has always been such a free spirit that I don't think it really surprised anyone. For the time being though, everybody (including Brittany) decided that it would probably be for the best if she didn't tell anyone else outside of our group, unless she was asked. I mean, it would absolutely suck to feel like you have to make some grand announcement to the whole school, just so everyone could feel more comfortable. I can't even imagine being in Britt's shoes and feeling like she has to come out every single time she meets a new person, for fear that they won't immediately reject her for something that she has no control over.

Anyways, everything seemed to be going well until _she_ happened.

Who is this _she_ that I'm referring to?

_Let me explain_...

* * *

It all started during Homecoming weekend. For the first time in like forever, McKinley finally beat Carmel High in football. So, of course that could only mean one thing... PARRRTTTAAAYYYYY!

Being the nerds that we are, our group usually didn't partake in the festivities that the popular kids did. From what I've heard, usually there's nothing but beer and sex that takes place at these things, which none of us participated in.

_Wow_... we sound like a bunch of losers.

To put it in a less depressing way, none of us liked to drink alcohol nor did any of us have a significant other to even think about doing the other thing with. Really, the only reason we ever got invited to parties was because despite our geek tendencies, some of us were also jocks (which inadvertently made us sort of popular... _sort of_). While Brittany played volleyball and I swam, Mike and Sam were on the football team. Although Rachel and Mercedes didn't play sports, they were apart of Chorus and had been aptly nicknamed "The Divas" because of their killer vocals. They tried to get me to join before, but I prefer singing in the confines of my own house.

_Anyways_...

At said party, there was this girl that caught everyone's attention... especially Brittany's.

The girl had auburn hair that went passed her shoulders, gray eyes, fair skin, and was maybe an inch shorter than Britt. I have to admit... she was gorgeous. There was definitely no mystery as to why she attracted so much attention. She also looked so familiar, but I couldn't quite place her.

I knew that this girl had an obvious affect on Brittany, just by the way she started acting after making brief eye contact with her. Her palms started getting sweaty and she was barely listening to anything I had to say.

"Brittany!" I said a bit louder as I snapped my fingers in front of her face. It was a lost cause though cuz this girl had her in some type of trance.

Finally, I had enough of being completely ignored by my best friend so I decided to take another route. With one swift motion, my fist connected with her shoulder.

"Oww! What the hell San?" Brittany finally responds as she rubs her free hand over her shoulder that is probably stinging from the pain.

"Sorry, but I had to get your attention somehow," I simply state. "Dude, if you stare at her any longer, you might burn a hole through her skin."

"What? I wasn't staring," she guiltily replies while finally looking away.

"Why don't you just be normal and go talk to her?" I state simply.

"Yeah, right..." she scoffs.

"What... it's not like you're gonna propose marriage or something," I explain. "Just go say hi and strike up a conversation. What's the worse that could happen?"

"She could be straight. She could laugh in my face," Brittany begins to list. "I could die..."

"Way to be _overly_ dramatic there, Pierce..." I state while shaking my head.

"Fine... if it will make you happy, I'll go over there and get shot down by a pretty girl," Brittany responds exasperated.

"Britt..." I say in a caring tone, "I know that you're nervous. This is a big step for you. You might get shot down; you might not," I continue as I lightly squeeze her arm. "Regardless of the results, I'll be right here waiting for you."

This seems to put her mind at ease for a moment.

"Thanks San... you always know exactly what to say," Brittany sincerely states as she pulls me in for a hug. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it," I genuinely reply while fidgeting with my glasses.

As Brittany slowly makes her way over to the pretty girl that everyone has been gawking over, the rest of the gang sidles up to me.

"Hey Specs, what's Britt doing?" Mercedes asks.

"I believe she's going to attempt to talk to a girl," I respond.

"What?!" Sam exclaims. "She didn't even tell me. I'm her wingman!"

"Hmm... how can I put this nicely," Mercedes ponders aloud. "You've got about as much game as Steve Urkel."

"Damn Cedes... that's cold-blooded," Sam responds. "I thought we were better than that."

"Just keeping it real, Trouty."

As Sam shakes his head at Mercedes, I feel Rachel's eyes on me. As I glance over at her, I see a sympathetic look on her features.

"How ya holding up kiddo?" Rachel asks.

"What are you talking about?" I answer with a confused expression. Seriously, my friends are weird as hell.

"Y'know... Britt talking to that girl," she responds like it's the most obvious thing.

"What exactly are you trying to imply here Rach?" I ask, starting to feel slightly irritated.

Ever since Brittany came out, our friends have started making some odd - yet interesting - comments to me. It seems like anytime the mention of a girl that Brittany could possibly like comes up, everyone looks at me with sad eyes, as if I'm going to break. I don't get it.

"I think what Berry is trying to ask if it bothers you to see Britt chattin' up some girl," Mercedes states.

"Why would it bother me?" I inquire. "I'm the one that told Britt to man up and go talk to her."

After a collective look is shared between my friends, the subject is suddenly dropped.

"I'm gonna go find Mike and see if he's acting less weird than you 3," I state as I walk away before any of them have a chance to respond.

"Do you think she's really okay?" Sam questions with a concerned tone.

"I don't know. If she's not, then she sure does hide it well," Rachel replies.

"Maybe we were wrong guys," Mercedes chimes in. "Maybe we're all just imagining things that aren't really there."

"Not possible... 2 people can't have chemistry like that and not be into each other," Rachel affirms. "I don't know... maybe they just haven't realized it yet."

"Whatever the case may be, perhaps we should lay off of Santana," Sam states.

"I agree," Mercedes says. "Regardless if Specs is pretending to be unaffected by Brittany talking to another girl, we should give her a break."

"Yeah, and who knows... maybe Santana is already interested in someone but we've been too focused on the possibility of her and Britt being together," Rachel adds in.

The group mulls over the idea in their heads before they all decide that that scenario is highly possible.

* * *

_Meanwhile_...

As Brittany finally makes it to the pretty girl she's been staring at for the past few minutes, her words get caught in her throat as soon as the girl turns and makes direct eye contact with her. Seeing the girl this close up makes Brittany lose all of the genius inside her head.

"Hi," the girl simply says. When Brittany doesn't immediately respond, she continues. "Can I help you with something?"

"I... uh..." Brittany stutters out.

_Wow... I'm coming off as a real moron_, she thinks to herself.

As Brittany glances over to the previous spot she was occupying, she's happy to see her gang of friends with big smiles on their faces while giving her the thumbs up. This makes Brittany smile a little. She then notices that Santana is not with them and she wonders why. Before she can mull over it, her thoughts are interrupted.

"I'm sorry, but we're you saying something?" the girl politely asks.

Brittany then turns to face the girl again and opens her mouth.

"Yes... you look kinda familiar so I just wanted to say hi," Brittany says with a little more confidence. "I'm Brittany, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Brittany..." the girl says as she reaches out to take one of Brittany's hands to shake. "I'm Kelly."

"Do you go to McKinley?" Brittany asks once their hands detach.

"No, I actually go to Carmel," Kelly replies.

"Oh, so you're the enemy," Brittany playfully retorts.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Kelly giggles in response. "You play volleyball, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Brittany questions.

"I'm a cheerleader so I've seen you at a few of the games," she answers. "Plus, it's not too often that you hear a lot of buzz about a sophomore at a rivaling school."

"Oh, so people talk about me..." Brittany nervously asks.

"Yes, but the talk is good," Kelly assures as she places a comforting hand on Brittany's arm. This causes Brittany to smile and her face to heat up a little.

"So, what grade are you in?" Brittany wonders aloud.

"I'm a junior."

"Oh, that's cool," Brittany lamely responds. "Do you do any other sports?"

"Nah, just cheer. How bout you?"

"I'm also on the dance team," Brittany replies.

"Oh, I see..." Kelly states as she looks up and down Brittany's body, "that would explain the killer bod."

Brittany's face immediately turns red. In the past, she's overheard boys talk about her body, but she's never had anyone - _let alone a girl_ - openly objectify her. It made her feel a little uneasy, but she tried her best to work through it.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to embarrass you," Kelly apologizes. "Let me make it up to you... perhaps dinner and a movie tomorrow night?"

"Wait... are you asking me out on a date?" Brittany blurts out, still shocked by the words that were just spoken to her.

"Yeah, unless you're not interested... or there's someone else?" Kelly carefully phrases.

"No, I'm single..." Brittany responds as she tries to figure out what Kelly was trying to imply. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Awesome! Give me your phone so that I can give you my number," Kelly states.

Once Brittany hands over her phone, Kelly quickly enters her number and then sends herself a text so that she can have the blonde's number too. What Brittany doesn't see is the questionable expression that graces Kelly's face as she views Brittany's wallpaper on her home screen.

It's a picture of Brittany and Santana from the last day of Freshman year. Santana is giving Brittany a piggyback ride while the blonde is pumping her fist into the air. Both girls look so happy and in their own little world.

Kelly debates whether she should ask Brittany about who the other girl is. She observed Brittany talking to the Latina before she came over to talk to her. Kelly couldn't help feel a little jealous when she saw the blonde she had been eyeing reach over and embrace the tanned-skinned girl.

Needless to say, Kelly was pleasantly surprised when Brittany came over and attempted to talk to her. She could tell the other girl was nervous and was delighted to hear that Brittany was in fact single. For now, she decided not to pry about whatever relationship she and the unknown Latina have. If things go well on their date, then that's something she can ask about later.

"Alrighty, now you have my number too," Kelly says. "I'll text you tomorrow with the deets."

"Ok, cool... I can't wait,". Brittany shyly replies.

As Kelly waves goodbye and disappears into the crowd, Brittany makes her way back over to her friends.

"So, what happened?" Mercedes asks.

"I... have a date," Brittany casually responds.

"That's great Britt!" Sam replies giving her a fist bump.

"Where's Santana at?"

"Uh... I don't know," Rachel states. "She went to find Mike, but he's been over there talking to that Asian girl for the past couple of minutes."

Brittany then excuses herself from the group to go find her best friend.

* * *

I had been sitting outside for about 10 minutes when Brittany found me.

Initially when I left the group, I went to find Mike in hopes of having a normal conversation with him. However, when I found him, he had been chatting with this girl and I didn't want to mess up his game. I started to head back to my group of friends but when I looked up, I saw the pretty girl touching Brittany's arm. I don't know why, but somehow I felt like I was intruding on a private moment. After that, I decided to step outside to get some fresh air.

When I first saw Brittany, she had the biggest grin on her face. I love it when she smiles, especially when her little incisors show. Anyways, she then told me everything she had learned about Kelly and about how they were going on a date tomorrow. I was happy for her. I know that she's been getting anxious about dating based on the talks we've had. I can't really offer much advice since I've never dated anyone. At most, I just offer my support and try to share some of the advice that I've received from my parents over the years. They've been together for 20 years so I figured they kinda know what they're talking about.

The next day, we all helped Brittany get ready for her very first date. As much as we all wanted to meet this Kelly girl, Brittany thought that it would be for the best if she waited to introduce her friends to her potential future girlfriend. I guess I can understand that.

While Brittany went on her date, the gang and I had movie night at my house. In between eating and watching movies, Mike gushed about this girl Tina that he met at the party last night. She also went to Carmel and was in the drama club. Mike said that he had met up with her earlier on in the day for lunch and had a great time. He seemed quite smitten already, which is cool. Mike's a great guy and he deserves to have someone in his life.

It seems like slowly but surely, everyone in our little group is beginning to date.

Neither of them have said anything yet but I think it's only a matter of time before Sam and Mercedes realize that they have the hots for each other. Although Cedes can be quite bitchy almost all of the time, I think Sam does a pretty good job of calming her loud personality down. As for me and Rachel, I think we're both just patiently waiting for our special person to magically appear. Honestly, I have no clue on what I would even want in a potential mate. I've never given it much thought before because my time has always been consumed by school, swimming, and my friends.

Eventually though, everyone in our group will have a significant other. I just hope that I don't get left behind and end up all alone while everyone else is enjoying that part of being a teenager.

Surprisingly enough, throughout the evening, none of my friends questioned me about how I felt about Brittany being on a date. To be honest, I don't really know how I feel about it. Like I said before, I'm happy for her, but I'm kinda sad that she's not here to partake in our usual movie night. I guess that's something I'll have to start getting used to if things get serious between her and Kelly.

After we finished watching 2 movies, Brittany returned home from her date and told us all about it. She seemed really ecstatic about it while replaying each moment she spent with Kelly. The way she talked about her led me to believe that this Kelly person would become apart of our little group. Again, I don't know how I really feel about that since I haven't met this girl and don't know anything about her besides what Britt has told us. Plus, it's been a while since we've had a new member to our group. In any case though, Kelly deserves a fair chance. As long as she treats Brittany right, then I'll have no qualms with her.

After we watched our final movie, the gang said their goodbyes and went home. Brittany opted to spend the night, which I was fine with. What I wasn't expecting was Brittany's confession that she wanted to only share with me after everyone left. Britt told me that Kelly had kissed her goodnight, marking her very first kiss. She stated that it was very short, but very sweet. The way she described it and the dreamy look she got in her eyes made me somewhat envious to have someone that I could share those types of moments with.

After we talked for a little longer, Brittany and I finally went to bed. Usually when we sleepover at each other's houses, we cuddle but somehow if felt weird to do it now. Even though we've always been kinda touchy feely, it sort of felt wrong to get my cuddle on with her, knowing that she's dating someone now. I don't think Kelly would particularly care for that either, even though my relationship with Brittany is strictly platonic.

I wasn't quite sure on how to bring this issue up without disturbing our usual routine. Instead, I carried on like normal and waited until Brittany drifted off before I pulled away and put some distance between us. Eventually, I fell asleep with a million thoughts buzzing through my head.

* * *

After a few more dates, Brittany and Kelly became official. Since they went to different schools, the only time they really got to see each other was during the weekends, which sadly meant less time with the group. Mike had also began dating Tina and found himself in the same situation, only being able to see her on the weekends. Little by little, our group was changing and becoming smaller by the minute. I've never been one to fight change, but it just felt like too much was changing too fast.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that I could do about it.

One by one, the rest of the group met Tina and Kelly. I really like Tina. She's been a nice addition to our gang and I think she's a great fit for Mike. Kelly's okay as well, but I think she's a little too into her looks and social status.

I think it's cool that everyone at her school is cool with the fact that she's openly gay, but I feel like she tries too hard and unnecessarily flaunts her relationship with Brittany. She always makes comments about Brittany's body or how hot she is, which is a little upsetting to me. I mean, for the most part, I think she treats Brittany well, but sometimes I feel like Britt is just arm candy to her. Brittany is beautiful and deserves to be showed off, but I think there's a more tasteful way to accomplish that. Plus, I know that some of Kelly's comments makes Brittany a little uncomfortable based on how red her face usually gets. However, I think Britt's just too nice to say anything about it.

Anyways, the more attention that Brittany and Kelly got, the more people at school became aware of Brittany's sexuality. Most people were cool with it and didn't hassle Brittany, but others - _such as the bitchy cheerleaders _- made little comments here and there. None of them ever did anything besides run their mouths at the command of the head Cheerio, Kitty. Although none of that directly affected Brittany, it did affect someone very close to her.

This is where things took a very bad turn.

* * *

When Brittany first came out to her parents, they were very receptive and understanding. When Brittany told her little sister Lindsay, she had to be a little more tactful. Now, Lindsay's pretty smart for her age. Only being 2 years younger than us, she has a pretty good grasp on what the meaning of being gay was. Initially, she was fine with her sister's announcement. However, after Brittany started dating Kelly, that started to change.

Once Brittany started dating and word spread around the school, eventually the news made it to the middle school. Unfortunately for Lindsay, she shared a few classes with a girl name Taylor, whom had a big mouth. It just so happens that Taylor is Kitty's little sister. For an 8th grader, she's as bitchy as her older sister... and that's saying something.

Anyways, once Kitty found out about Brittany, of course she told Taylor and tasked her into making Lindsay's life a living hell. Again, nothing physical was ever done, but constantly being tormented and teased about her sister's sexuality begin to take a toll on Lindsay. Just because Brittany was gay and some people still teach their children ignorance, Lindsay's friends slowly started drifting away from her. It's not that they didn't like Lindsay anymore; they just didn't want to be associated with the girl with a gay sister. I thought that high school kids were brutal, but compared to some of these middle schoolers... unbelievable.

After Lindsay continued to get more flack from Taylor and everyone at the school started straying away from her like she had the plague, Lindsay began to resent Brittany. It was one particular evening when everyone was hanging out at Brittany's house that Lindsay suddenly snapped.

We were having game night when the incident occurred. During an innocent game of charades, Brittany and Kelly shared a quick peck. This was the first time that I had witness any type of PDA from them besides hand-holding and hugs. It was weird to see my best friend kissing someone, mainly because I had never seen it before. Anyways, this is where Lindsay lost her shit and stormed off.

Everyone in the group had started to notice the subtle changes in Lindsay's behavior whenever Kelly was around, but it wasn't until this point in time where she allowed her emotions to get the best of her.

Once Brittany saw her sister leave abruptly, she immediately got to her feet to follow her. I stopped Brittany and told her that she probably needed some space. I offered to talk to her, which Brittany seemed to be okay with. After I followed the same path that Lindsay had traveled, I found her sitting outside on the back porch.

"Hey kiddo, what's going on?" I politely ask.

"Just leave me alone, Santana," she growls in response.

"Whoa... how about you take some of that bass out of your voice," I snap back. "You may be my favorite 8th grader, but I _will_ hit a kid."

Lindsay chuckles at this. "I'm sorry... I just don't really feel like talking."

"That's fine. How bout you just listen for a little bit and if you feel compelled to chime in, then do so," I suggest. Once I see her nod her head, I continue. "So... I'm guessing you're not a big fan of your sister dating?"

She shrugs her shoulders.

"I wonder why that is..." I pose as I stroke my chin with my index finger and thumb. "I know that you were fine with Britt being gay when she first told you, so what changed? Is it the fact that she's dating Kelly?"

Lindsay shakes her head.

"Did someone maybe say something to you at school?" I question. When I receive no response, I know that I must be onto something. "Okay... so something happened at school. Have the kids been teasing you?"

Lindsay turns away from me and crosses her arms over her chest. I place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Linds... it's okay, you can talk to me," I state sincerely. "I wanna help."

"I don't think you can," Lindsay responds after a few seconds.

"Care to elaborate?"

"There's this girl named Taylor..." she begins. "Apparently her sister has a few classes with Britt and found out about the gay thing. Anyways, she told Taylor and ever since, she's been giving me hell about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Taylor told everyone in our grade that Brittany was gay and that it's like contagious or some shit like that," she continues. "Anyways, now none of the kids, not even my friends, will come near me cuz their afraid that they'll "catch the gay" or something stupid like that."

"So that's why you've been lashing out," I rhetorically state.

"Yeah... I guess you've noticed," she replies.

"Maybe just a little," I playfully respond.

"The truth is... I don't have a problem with gay people," she genuinely states. "I just never thought about what it really meant until Brittany started dating Kelly and I started to get all of this backlash. I don't know... I just wish that nobody knew and things would go back to normal."

"Are you saying that you would've preferred that Britt stayed in the closest?" I inquire.

"Yes... no... I don't know," Lindsay says, confusion apparent in her voice. "It would be much easier for me if she did..."

"Wow, Lindsay... that's a completely selfish thing for you to say," I respond with disappointment in my voice. "Do you know how incredibly brave your sister is for being honest with herself and the people around her? I'm very surprised that you would even think something like that, let alone say it out loud."

As I stand up from the porch, preparing to go back inside, Lindsay grabs my arm.

"San, wait... I didn't mean it like that," she rushes out. "It just sucks, that's all."

"I know kids can be horrible. Trust me... it doesn't get any easier once you get to high school. The thing you gotta remember is that none of these kids' opinions should mean anything to you. 10 years from now, the same kids that bully and tease others will be the same ones stuck in this God awful town, working menial jobs just to make ends meet, and are completely disappointed with their sad and pathetic lives."

Lindsay appears to ponder over what I've just said, letting it all really sink in.

"People are cruel and say awful things to each other. People change their views and opinions like they change their underwear. Throughout all of this, Brittany has been nothing but honest and consistent," I continue. "Are a few dumbass kids' opinions really gonna cause you to alienate your sister?"

"No... I'm sorry San, I'm being an idiot," she sadly replies.

"It's okay kiddo, but it's not me who you should be apologizing to," I say as I side hug her. "You're a tough kid... if the other kids at your school want to follow the lead of some bitchy 8th grader, then their just as sad and pathetic as that Taylor girl."

"I'll apologize to Brittany... _and Kelly_," she reluctantly states. "Could you please not tell my sister about my minor lapse in judgment?"

"Sure thing," I simply reply.

"Kelly's not too bad, but she's definitely not as cool as you," Lindsay randomly says.

"Well, duh... no one's as cool as me," I playfully retort.

"Too bad my sister isn't dating you... that would be awesome!" Lindsay casually states, catching me off guard.

As she walks back inside of the house, I remain standing on the back porch, thinking about what she just said. I'm confused yet intrigued by the idea, but it's not like it matters anyways.

Brittany and I are just friends. That's the way things were meant to be... right?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy the new update. This chapter is a little longer than the others because I wanted to build up for the next one. I didn't go into much detail about Brittany and her first date/kiss with Kelly because some of that stuff will be addressed in the next chapter. Plus, I'm not really a big fan of Brittany and Santana dating other people besides each other, but the Kelly character is necessary for the plot of the story. It will all hopefully make sense next chapter.

Till next time, stay classy!

-Kris

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Glee. _(Ps - please forgive any mistakes... I wrote this chapter on my iPhone.)_


	4. Grand Theft Autumn

So many things have changed in these past few months. Besides coming out and being made the captain of the volleyball team, I didn't expect to find myself in a relationship so soon. It's not like I was even looking for it either, but I found myself at that homecoming party and there she was.

Every guy at the party was practically drooling over her, but it was me that ended up with her number and a date by the end of the night. It's kinda ironic though... I never thought that I would fall into that typical stereotype of dating the cute, popular cheerleader... yet, here I am. Honestly, I don't think I would've even attempted to talk to her if Santana hadn't been there to encourage me to take a risk. San really is the bestest friend that I girl could ask for.

During our date, I found out a little more about Kelly and her friends and family. When I started telling her about mine, she seemed to take a particular interest in Santana. From the questions she was asking, it almost seemed like she was jealous or something, which is silly cuz me and San are just friends. Anyways, eventually we moved on and talked about other things until it was time for her to take me home.

At the end of our date, Kelly kissed me goodnight. It was my very first kiss... ever. It was soft and sweet, but kinda different than what I was expecting. I always thought that when I had my first kiss, there would be this warm, tingling feeling buzzing throughout my body, kinda like how it is in the movies. Don't get me wrong, the kiss wasn't bad - _not that I have anything to compare it to_ - but it just wasn't what I had pictured it would be after all of these years.

Flash forward to a couple of months later and me and Kelly are still together. Things have been great for the most part, but sometimes I feel a little self-conscious around her. She makes a lot of comments about my body, which sometimes makes me feel like a piece of meat. Also, she definitely isn't shy when she's hanging with her guy friends and brags to them about how her girlfriend is much hotter than theirs. I don't know, sometimes I feel like there should be more depth to our relationship than just gawking at our partner's physical appearance. But then again, this is my first relationship so I'm not really sure what to expect.

The one thing that I do miss about being single is the amount of free time I used to have to spend with my friends, especially Santana. Because me and Kelly go to different schools, the only time I really get to see her is on the weekends. She hasn't been able to make it to any of my games either because it usually coincides with her cheerleading.

Another difference that I noticed was with my sister Lindsay. She became very distant and rude whenever I brought Kelly around. For whatever reason, she eventually apologized for her bad behavior and things have been good ever since. I'm pretty sure Santana had something to do with that, but neither one of them would tell me what the issue was to begin with. Whatever it was though, I'm just glad that it's in the past.

* * *

Now it's Christmas time, my favorite time of the year. Unfortunately for me though, I'm sick as a dog. I came down with the flu a couple of days ago and have been in bed or had my head inside of a toilet ever since. It's not a pretty sight... trust me.

Originally, I was supposed to be going with my family to Florida to visit my grandparents for the holidays, but those plans were foiled. My parents felt so bad that they almost cancelled their trip but I begged them not to on my account. After much convincing, my parents agreed that I was old enough to stay at home by myself, on the account that the Lopezes would be right next door to look after me.

Of course it was no fun being sick at home while the rest of my family were soaking up the sun, but I didn't really mind because I got to spend some much needed quality time with Santana. Even though most of the our time together was spent with her holding my hair back while I blew chunks into the toilet or her feeding me soup because I was too weak to feed myself, I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything else.

"Alright sicky, let's get you to bed," Santana says as she pulls the covers up to my chest.

"Thanks for taking care of me San... I'm sure there are much better things you could be doing with your time," I simply state.

"Nonsense... you know there's nowhere else I'd rather be," she sincerely replies. "Plus, it's been nice to spend some time with you, even though it's not the most ideal situation."

"I know what you mean. I'm sorry I've been kinda MIA from the group lately," I respond. "It's tough trying to juggle everything and make time for you guys and Kelly."

Maybe it was the medication that I was on, but I could've sworn that I saw Santana wince at the mention of Kelly's name. I don't know why that would be though. From what I could tell, Santana and Kelly got along just fine. I mean, it's not like they're best friends or anything, but they seem to like each (or at least pretend to).

"Don't worry about it, B... you know I'll always be here for you," she gently replies. "Your forehead is still kinda warm. Let me get you a cold rag."

As Santana briefly leaves the room, I tuck myself further into my blanket. Once she returns and places the cold compact on my forehead, she begins to softly sing to me.

"_Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur_..." she starts off, instantly making a small smile form on my face. "_Happy kitty, sleepy kitty... purr, purr, purr..._"

"I love it when you sing, Sanny Bear... you should do it more often," I casually state through my grogginess. "Sing me something else, please?"

"Okay then, let's see..." Santana ponders aloud. "_Gimme your, gimme your, gimme your attention baby... I gotta tell you a lil something bout yourself_."

I lightly giggle at her song selection.

"_You're wonderful, flawless... ooh, you a sexy lady, but you walk around here like you wanna be someone else," she continues_. "_Treasure, that is what you are; honey, you're my golden star. Y'know you could make my wish come true if you let me treasure you; if you let me treasure you; woah-oh-oh-h-h-h_..."

"You're so silly San," I reply with the biggest smile I can muster. "Could you maybe sing something a little slower?"

Santana nods before she starts again while lightly brushing my hair.

"_I should've bought you flowers and held your hand. Should've gave you all my hours when I had the chance_," Santana sings softly as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "_Take you to every party cuz all you wanted to do was dance. Now my baby's dancing, but she's dancing with another man_..."

I slowly close my eyes and begin to drift off to sleep.

"Goodnight Britt-Britt," she says as she places a delicate kiss on top of my head.

As I feel her weight shift off of my bed, my hand quickly juts out and grabs her wrist before my head can register what my body is doing.

"San... can you hold me?" I innocently ask.

Me and Santana used to cuddle all of the time, but that has change as of late. Actually, a lot of our usual touchy feely behavior has changed ever since I started dating Kelly. I don't know if it's a subconscious thing or if maybe Santana just feels weird doing it now, but I miss it. I felt a little pathetic asking her to cuddle with me now, but I figured she would be less resistant given my ill state.

"Sure thing," she replies as I feel her body settle in next to mine.

The last thing I remember is Santana wrapping her arm around me and holding me tightly as I fell asleep in her arms.

"_Mmm... too young, too dumb to realize_..." Santana whispers into Brittany's ear once she hears her breathing even out.

* * *

Santana wakes up in the same position she fell asleep in the night before, with her arms wrapped around a sleeping Brittany. She feels content just holding the blonde, especially since it's been awhile since they were this close in proximity. As she carefully unwraps herself from Brittany and rolls over, she grabs her glasses off of the night stand and stands up from the bed.

As Santana makes her way downstairs with the intention of making breakfast for Brittany, she is surprised when she sees someone sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Holy shit!" Santana exclaims as she grasps her chest. "Kelly, you scared the crap outta me. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my girlfriend," Kelly replies in a non-friendly manner. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Whoa..." Santana responds as she puts her hands up defensively. "I don't know what the attitude is about but I'm just here to take care of Britt."

"Why don't you just cut the bullshit... you're not fooling anyone," Kelly says knowingly.

"I'm sorry... could you be a little more specific?" Santana questions, seemingly having no idea what the other girl is referring to.

"Oh c'mon! You've got the hots for Brittany... don't even try to deny it!" Kelly snaps.

"Wow..." Santana replies with surprised eyes. "I'm sorry that you feel so insecure with yourself that you're threatened by my friendship with Brittany."

"I'm not crazy, Santana... I've seen the way you look at her," Kelly says at a more reasonable level. "You missed your chance with her, so just back off. She's mine!"

Up until this point, Santana has remain calm and collected throughout Kelly's wild accusations. However, hearing the brunette talk about Brittany like she's some sort of possession infuriates her to no avail.

"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't talk about my best friend like she's a piece of property," Santana says in an eerily calm tone.

Seeing Santana's reaction only fuels Kelly's need to really push the Latina.

"It must kill you to know that Brittany's with me and not you..." Kelly begins.

"Unless you have some earwax built up or suffered a recent blow to the head, like I said before... Britt and I are just friends," Santana replies, trying her best not to lose control and go ape shit on the cheerleader.

"Yeah... keep telling yourself that, Lopez," Kelly states smugly. "I mean, seriously... it must suck to know that I'm the one that gets to hold her, kiss her, touch her... _fuck_ her..."

Santana closes her eyes as the anger builds up throughout her body. Kelly knows for sure that she's hit a button. She's expecting Santana to snap at any moment and do something hasty so that she can run and tell Brittany about it.

But... that never happens.

Santana takes a few deep, calming breaths and removes her glasses. She then cleans her lenses with the bottom of her t-shirt and puts her glasses back on.

"You know what the funny thing is... I actually liked you when we first met," Santana starts out, "but now I see how full of yourself you truly are. I don't know what it is that Brittany sees in you, but while you're together, I _have_ to tolerate you..."

As Kelly opens her mouth to retort, Santana cuts her off.

"Don't hurt my friend; because if you do... _I'll_ hurt you," the Latina calmly states while she makes her way to the front door. "And Kelly... that's a fucking promise."

Once Santana is out of sight, Kelly finds herself a little shaken by the Latina's last comment. Throughout their banter, Kelly thought that she had gotten underneath Santana's skin by flat out lying about being intimate with Brittany. However, it was Santana that claimed victory by calling her out on her insecurities and remaining level-headed, despite Kelly's efforts to rattle her.

In Kelly's head, she knew that there would be no easy way to get rid of Santana... her competition. Instead, she began to brainstorm on what she could do to send a clear message that Brittany was indeed hers.

* * *

When I woke up this morning, I immediately felt 100 times better than I had been for the past week. As I continue to lay in bed, thoughts of the previous night and Santana singing to me fill my head. A faint smile forms on my face as I pull the arm draped over my torso closer to me.

As the person behind me snuggles into my back, it's then that I realize that the person currently spooning me isn't the same person I fell asleep with. I then gently turn over to face my cuddle buddy.

"Kelly?" I ask confused as I rub the sleep away from my eye.

I know that I was on some heavy medication last night, but I could've sworn that Santana was next to me when I fell asleep.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Kelly sweetly asks as she places a kiss to my forehead.

"Much better, thanks..." I politely respond. "Where's Santana?"

"She had to go, but it's okay cuz I'm here now," Kelly quickly replies. "I'll make you some breakfast if you think you can hold it down."

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Just let me freshen up," I respond as I head into the bathroom.

It's not that I'm not happy to see my girlfriend - _especially when she's being super sweet_ - but for some reason, I'm kinda bummed that Santana isn't here right now. Not only that, but she didn't even say goodbye or leave a note, which is so unlike her.

You know what else is weird? When I asked Kelly about Santana's whereabouts, I saw her roll her eyes. I think it was meant to subtle, but it wasn't. I wonder what that means exactly. If something is up between those 2 then I am definitely out of the loop.

* * *

A few weeks later, my birthday arrived and my friends threw me the most epic Sweet 16 party. It was nice to just relax and hang out with the people that mean the most to me. I had a really good time, even though I felt some tension between Santana and Kelly. Before I had a chance to ask either of them about it, my parents came out from the kitchen with my birthday cake.

Later on that night, Kelly gave me a poem that she had written for me. It was so sweet and unexpected. To be honest, I almost didn't believe her when she first told me that she had written it. It was so deep and profound... something that was the complete opposite from what I'm used to with her personality.

Who knows... maybe she's finally letting me see the softer side of her.

The next day when I was telling my friends about the poem, I received some mixed reactions. Santana plastered on a fake smile while Rachel and Mike seemed genuinely excited. Sam and Mercedes gave me a quick 'cool' after they shared an interesting look.

Before I could ask San what was going on, she had abruptly left. It seems like lately, every time a situation like this happened, Santana always managed to pull a Houdini before I could ask her about it. I don't think that's a coincidence either.

Anyways, while Rachel and I chatted, Mike left to meet up with Tina, and Sam and Mercedes offered to check on Santana. I figured that would be for the best since she obviously didn't want to talk to me about it.

* * *

_Meanwhile at Santana's house..._

As Santana paces back and forth in her bedroom, she feels her anger building up. She's so consumed by her thoughts that she doesn't even register when Sam and Mercedes enter her room.

"That fucking bitch!" she mutters under her breath. "I knew it..."

"Wow Satan... I didn't know you were capable of using that kind of language," Mercedes jokes.

"Now is not the time, Cedes..." Santana replies, barely acknowledging her bitchy friend.

"San, what happened?" Sam gently says as he places his hands on the Latina's shoulders. "Talk to me, okay?"

"It's Kelly..." Santana finally says, "... I knew I couldn't trust her."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing... it's nothing," Santana casually states. "Let's just forget about it."

"Is this about that poem?" Sam carefully asks. When Santana doesn't respond, he continues. "San... I know you wrote it."

Santana's eyes immediately widen at Sam's statement.

"What I can't figure out is how Kelly got ahold of it."

"She stole it," Santana simply replies.

"Well, girl... why didn't you tell Brittany?" Mercedes inquires.

"_I can't_..." Santana says barely above a whisper.

"We're gonna need a little more than that, Specs..."

"I can't tell her..." Santana states again, "... cuz then she'll know."

"Know what?" Mercedes pries again.

Santana opens her mouth to say something, but can't. It's too hard and way too much to admit to herself, let alone admit to her friends.

"Cuz then she'll know that you have feelings for her," Sam states knowingly.

Santana slowly nods her head, confirming what her friends had already suspected for quite some time now.

"When Britt was sick during Christmas, I had an unfortunate run in with Kelly..." Santana begins. "She accused me of trying to steal Brittany away from her and basically told me to stay away."

"And what did you say?" Sam asks.

"I told her that I would tolerate her while she and Britt were together," Santana replies. "I also told her that I'd kick her ass if she hurt Britt."

"Hell yeah... that's what I'm talking about," Mercedes exclaims as she raises her hand in the air for a high five. After receiving a pointed look from Santana, she slowly lowers her hand. "Too soon?"

"_Anyways_... about a week or so after that, Kelly made a surprise visit here," Santana continues. "She said that one of her resolutions for the new year was to put our differences aside and call a truce."

"I guess she was just blowing smoke up your ass," Mercedes retorts.

"I guess so," the Latina replies. "Apparently my parents told her she could wait in my room; that's when she probably stole the song. I had ran to the store and left my lap top open since I was only going to be gone for a few minutes."

"So, tell me again why you don't wanna tell Brittany that her girlfriend is a thief and a liar?" Sam questions.

"Because... if I tell Britt about Kelly, then she'll tell Kelly and Kelly will know that she was right about me having feelings for Britt," Santana attempts to explain. "... and once Brittany knows that it was me who wrote the song/poem, she'll know that I have feelings for her and everything will be ruined."

"First off, you need to take a breath," Mercedes states. "Secondly, what the hell are you rambling about? How would Brittany knowing how you feel ruin anything?"

"Because it will... Brittany doesn't see me that way," Santana states solemnly. "I'm just her extremely geeky best friend... and that's all I'll ever be."

"Why are you so positive that Brittany doesn't feel the same?" Sam ponders.

"I just know, otherwise _I'd_ be her girlfriend... not that stupid ass cheerleader."

Sam and Mercedes take a moment to look at Santana and see the pain that she's in. They both feel for her and want to tell her how silly she is for thinking that Brittany doesn't feel the same as her. They both want to tell her to fight for Brittany cuz neither one of them really care for Kelly either, but they don't.

"You guys know you can't tell Britt, right?" Santana states more than asks. Sam and Mercedes sadly shake their heads in agreement. "Good."

"Can I ask you one question though?" Sam wonders aloud. Once he sees Santana nod her head, he continues. "When did you know?"

"Honestly, I think I've always known... "Santana responds as she looks out her window and sees Brittany in her bedroom, laughing along with Rachel and Mike. "I just didn't realize it until it was too late."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, there you have it... Santana finally admits that she has feelings for Brittany! The next chapter will be a continuation of this one. I was gonna just make this one long chapter but I figured you guys would enjoy having this part of the story out sooner. My goal is to have the next one ready for you guys within the next day or 2. Until then... be easy peeps!

-Kris :)

**Songs Used:**

_**Soft Kitty** _by **Sheldon Cooper** _(The Big Bang Theory ;))_

_**Treasure** _by **Bruno Mars**

_**When I Was Your Man** _by **Bruno Mars**

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything.


	5. Mr Brightside

2 weeks later, the gang and I were at another party to celebrate the swim team's victory as they won regionals. In their last race, we were behind, but once we got to the final leg, – _which Santana swam_ – the Titans were able to pull ahead and claim victory. I was so proud of San. In fact, I think I was the loudest person in the crowd, cheering for her at the top of my lungs. I'm surprised that I wasn't escorted out of the gym by security.

_Anyways…_

While at the party, it was nice to just chill with my peeps without having to divide my attention between them and Kelly. I invited her to the party as well, but she wouldn't be arriving until a little later. Everyone at the party was crowding Santana so much that I barely got to talk to her. I mean, I get it… she was the hero at the swim meet so naturally, everyone is gonna want to talk to her. There was this one chick though that appeared to be getting a little _too_ friendly with her.

Before I got a chance to find out who this girl was, Kelly showed up. Seriously… she has like the worst timing.

* * *

So… now I'm standing on the other side of the room from my friends, listening to Kelly rant about one of her dumb jock friends. Technically, I'm only half-listening and throwing in a 'yeah' or an 'oh really' to give the illusion that I'm actually paying attention. It's not that I don't care; it's just that she talks so badly about these _so-called_ friends of hers that it makes me sad. I mean, why would someone want to be friends with someone that constantly talks shit about them behind their back?

Another reason why I'm not really invested in whatever it is that Kelly's saying is because I can't seem to take my eyes off of Santana. She's been talking to the same girl for like 20 minutes and I can't stand it. The girl isn't ugly either… much to my dismay. She's around San's height with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She's got a cute babydoll dress on, accentuated with a matching cardigan.

The more I watch the interaction between the 2 of them, the more I feel like the girl is flirting with Santana. And San isn't exactly stopping her. The more I see the girl lightly brush Santana's arm as she laughs at something my best friend said, the more infuriated I become. Even though this girl is gorgeous, I wouldn't care less about who she was flirting with if the object of her current attention wasn't directed towards Santana.

And for some reason, I had to make it stop… NOW!

As Kelly was in the middle of another one of her asinine stories, I abruptly left and headed straight towards my Latina sidekick.

"Hey, can I borrow you for a sec?" I quickly state as I grab Santana's arm and drag her away from the gorgeous blonde.

"Britt… what the hell, dude?" Santana says as she pulls her arm out of my hold.

"Who was that?" I question, completely ignoring her statement.

"You mean Quinn… the girl I was having a pleasant conversation with until you rudely interrupted?" she rhetorically states. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

I open my mouth to respond to her very reasonable question, but then I suddenly realize that I don't know _what_ to say. I spent so much time staring at the pair and making myself upset that I didn't comprehend how irrational my behavior was. Instead of taking my time and thinking of something logical to say, I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.

"Why are you flirting with that girl?!" I interrogate her. "You're not even gay!"

A look of confusion graces her features… _at first_. That only lasts for a few seconds before a look of complete irritation appears.

"Regardless _if_ Quinn was hitting on me or not, how does that concern you?" Santana asks annoyed.

"I just don't wanna see you lead some poor girl on…" I manage to sound half-convincing.

"Who says I'm leading her on, hmm? What if _I_ actually like her?" Santana challenges.

"_Wait_… what?!" I yell out, completely shocked by her words. "Are you freaking kidding me right now?"

"Why does it matter, Brittany? I mean seriously… why do you suddenly care so much about who's talking to me?"

"Because I…" I start to say but stop.

Why _did_ I suddenly care so much?

Maybe because it was such a surprise to see Santana flirting with someone? Maybe because I wanted to be in Quinn's position? Maybe because I felt that if San was ever gonna be with a girl, it would be me?

_I mean, isn't that one of the best friend privileges? Seriously… shouldn't I get first dibs?_

"Seriously, Britt... you're acting like a jealous girlfriend," Santana states, effectively breaking me from my thoughts. "And the last time I checked... you weren't."

As those last few words left Santana's mouth, she looked so deflated and discouraged. She looked like there was more that she wanted to say, but didn't on my behalf. It's only now that I realize how crazy I'm being. San was right... she wasn't my girlfriend, therefore, there's no reasonable explanation to explain my behavior.

"I... I should go," I finally say after a long pause, not daring to look into her eyes.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Santana replies, "especially since your girlfriend has been staring daggers at me since you stormed over here."

I finally look up and meet Santana's eyes as my brain catches up with what she just said. This whole time that I've been irrationally grilling San about her flirting with that Quinn girl, I completely forgot about Kelly and how I just left her in the middle of our one-sided conversation.

"Fuck..." I say under my breath as my eyes widen at the realization.

I slightly tilt my head to the side to catch Kelly's profile in my peripherals and boy... she does not look happy.

"I should go," I repeat myself. "I'll... I'll call you tomorrow?" I cautiously ask.

"Okay," she replies with a shrug.

I then turn around and walk away from her. As I get closer to Kelly, I turn my head to catch one last glance at Santana. As I look back, I see San with a confused look on her face as she stares at the ground. Her facial expression reflects the same amount of confusion that I was currently experiencing inside my head.

Once I make it back to Kelly, I grab her hand and ask her to take me home before she has a chance to question me about what had taken place moments ago. She complies and follows me outside as we get into her car and drive away.

"What was that all about," Quinn says as she walks over to the spot where Santana seems to be planted in.

"I have no idea."

* * *

The drive back to my house was silent... thank God. I think Kelly knew that I didn't really want to talk about what happened so she didn't pry. I'm grateful that she didn't because honestly, I'm not really sure _what_ happened back there.

Whatever it was, I didn't like it.

In the 10 years that I've known Santana, we've never had a fight. Okay... fight might be too strong of a word; argument may be a better term. Anyways, it was weird to argue with my best friend, especially over something so childish and silly. San has the right to flirt with whomever she wants to.

_Who am I to tell her any differently?_

Once we get back to my house, I fear that the conversation I've been avoiding for the past 30 minutes is about to happen. As Kelly and I just sit on the couch in the darkness of my living room, I'm kinda relieved when she leans in to kiss me. If her lips are distracted by being pressed up against mine, then she can't possibly ask me any questions that I don't really want to answer.

That was my logic at least.

After a few minutes of heavily making out, Kelly's hands began to wander a little more than usual. As one of her hands begin to roughly grope my breast, the other slowly travels down my torso until it's resting at the top of my jeans. I then feel her hand begin to toy with the button on my jeans so I hug her body more tightly, in order to trap her hand and prevent it from going any further. This works only briefly as she uses her body weight to lay me down on the couch with her on top of me.

As we continue to make out, I feel her kisses becoming rougher and seemingly desperate. It's not really romantic _- by any means_ - but I try to work through it because at least she's stopped her mission from trying to get her hand inside my pants for the moment. As Kelly continues to kiss me sloppily, I try to think about something else... something that makes me happy.

And just like that, Santana pops into my head.

I think about all of the fun times we used to have together before Kelly came into the picture. I think about how she always made me laugh so effortlessly. I think about her eyes and how easily I sometimes get lost in them. I think about her smile and how adorable her dimple is when it's on full display. I think about her soft lips and wonder how they would feel against mine. _Mmm..._

_Wait… what?!_

Did I just have some _non_-friendly thoughts about Santana... my best _friend_?

_Shit!_

I think I may have let out an unintentional moan because now Kelly's hands have started to wander again and she's slobbering all over my neck. This is all just too much for me. Something just doesn't feel _right._

As Kelly starts to fiddle with the button of my jeans again, I place my hand on top of hers.

"Kelly..." I whisper out, trying to gain her attention.

"C'mon baby... let me take care of you," Kelly replies seductively as she continues trying to unbutton my pants.

"Kelly..." I say again, louder than before.

Again, she ignores me and finally undoes my button. Just as she's about to slip her hand inside my pants, I grab it and hold her hand still.

"Kelly, stop!" I yell this time, finally getting her attention.

"Jesus!" Kelly exclaims as she sits up. "What's the problem?"

"I'm just not ready..." I respond as I fasten my pants together.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Kelly shouts in frustration. "We've been going out for like 5 months and you've _barely_ let me graze second base. What is the deal?"

"I told you, I'm just not ready yet!" I say back a little louder than expected.

I didn't mean to yell, but I was starting to get a little frustrated myself. I didn't feel like I needed to justify the reason why I wasn't ready to further our physical relationship. Since I've never been in a relationship before, I wasn't sure exactly when I _would_ be ready to take that step or if Kelly was even the girl I wanted to take that step with.

Given that revelation, it made me reconsider some things about our current situation.

_Was Kelly really the right girl for me? _

I mean, we're not really that compatible if you look at it in the grand scheme of things. Maybe I was just biding my time with her until someone better came along. Maybe that person I was looking for was already in my life but I've been too preoccupied with her to notice.

"I bet this wouldn't be an issue if I was Santana..." I hear Kelly mumble under her breath.

"Excuse me?" I retort. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what that means," she angrily replies.

"Santana and I are just friends," I respond back.

"Bull fucking shit!" Kelly yells. "It was so pathetic how jealous you were over her talking to that chick tonight."

"I wasn't jealous," I try to counter, but not very convincingly.

"Keep telling yourself that, _Britt-Britt_," she states condescendingly, knowing that San is the only one that calls me that. "I'm so fucking tired of both of you trying to act like you don't have a thing for each other. It's so painfully obvious that it's sickening," she continues as she stands up from the couch. "Honestly, if I knew you were gonna be this much of a prude, I wouldn't have wasted so much time on you..."

I have a feeling that I know what she's implying, but I really just want to hear the words from her lips so that I can further solidify what I obviously failed to realize over the past few months of our relationship.

"What exactly are you saying here, Kelly?" I question. "I mean, I have a pretty good idea, but I want you to spell it out for me... like I'm stupid."

"Brittany... I'm _the_ hottest girl at my school; girls hit on me on a daily basis, especially since I've been "off the market" so to speak." Kelly casually states. "I have like a dozen girls' numbers in my phone that I could call right now and would be begging me to fuck them within minutes."

"Well then, I suggest you go call one of your hoes then..." I state firmly as I point down towards my most intimate area, "cuz the muffin shop is closed!"

"Wow... I can't believe that you would pick that four-eyed little immigrant over this hot piece of ass," she says cockily.

Up until this point, I've been very cool, calm, and collected as my girlfriend - excuse me, ex-girlfriend - basically called me frigid and practically just admitted to being unfaithful to me.

_Boy, I sure know how to pick 'em. _

Anyways, despite all of that and how disgusted I was with this girl in front of me, nothing she said really affected me until she started talking shit about Santana.

"You can say all of the negative shit about me that you want, but you will _not_ talk about my best friend like that," I say as calmly as possible. "Get your shit and get the fuck out of my house," I continue as I shove her purse and shoes into her chest.

"You were just a waste of time anyways," she says as opens the front door and takes a step outside.

"You know what, Kelly..." I say aloud, gaining her attention again, "if you were _half_ the girl that Santana is, you probably would've gotten into my pants already."

Before she has a chance to respond, I slam the door in her face. I then take a seat back on the couch and lean my head back as I think about everything that happened within the past few hours. I need to apologize to Santana, but first I have to figure out what I'm gonna say to her.

_Holy cow... when did my life become so complicated?_

* * *

The next day, I woke up feeling relieved... like a weight had been suddenly lifted off my shoulder. No longer having to worry about Kelly just made me feel 100 times better. Luckily for me, since we don't go to the same school, I don't have to worry about running into her in the hallways.

After last night and taking into consideration how Kelly tried to pressure me to have sex with her - _and then subsequently telling me about all the hoes she's got on speed dial_ - I finally realized how cancerous she was to my life. I guess I couldn't see it before because I was too caught up in the idea of having a girlfriend.

I definitely learned a valuable lesson.

* * *

As I take a shower and get dressed, I head next door to Santana's house. Tonight is our weekly movie night, something that I've missed a lot over the past months... because of her. Anyways, I go over to San's a little earlier than usual, hoping that we can talk before the rest of the gang arrives.

As I let myself in with the key I was given many years ago, I make my way upstairs and towards her bedroom. Before I knock on her door and make my presence known, I stand back and listen to her strum on her guitar.

"_I wish you look at me that way; your beautiful eyes lookin' deep into mine_," she softly sings. "_Tellin' me more than any words could say, but you don't even know I'm alive..._"

I love Santana's voice so much. It's a shame that she hides it away from the rest of the world though. She usually only sings duets with the others in our group, but never solos. Well... occasionally she'll sing to me so I guess I'm kind of the exception. Sometimes I don't think she realizes how special she makes me feel without even trying.

"_Baby to you, all I am... is the invisible man_..."

I briefly get lost in the lyrics from the song, accompanied by Santana's raspy voice. I wonder why she was singing that particular song.

"Britt?" Santana says as she opens her door up further. "What are you doing here?"

"I hope you don't mind that I let myself in," I respond, hoping she doesn't kick me out.

I've never seen her mad before like she was last night, but I would completely understand if she didn't want to talk to me right now.

"No, that's fine. I just didn't think I'd be seeing you today... thought you'd be with _Kelly_," she mumbles out while adjusting her glasses. She's nervous or anxious about something... that's her tell.

"Nah, I had something more important to do," I start off. "I'm sorry for being a complete nutcase last night... I don't know what got into me."

"Yeah... nutcase might be an _understatement_," she responds playfully, letting me know that we're okay. "But seriously, Britt... what was that last night?"

"I don't know. Maybe just seeing you having so much fun with someone else made me feel like I had been replaced or something," I reply back carefully. There's some truth to my statement.

"So, that's it... you weren't like _jealous_ or something?" Santana says with an unreadable expression on her face.

_Shit... the cat's out of the bag_.

Quick, say something remotely believable.

"Jealous? No... why would I be jealous?" I retort in an incredulous manner.

_I mean, seriously... why would I be jealous?_

San and I are just friends, nothing more. So what, I got a little crazy when she was talking to that girl last night. So what, I was thinking about her while my former girlfriend tried to "get me in the mood". That didn't mean that I was jealous. I think I just kept thinking about Santana so much is because I missed spending time with her.

_Yeah, that sounds believable._

"Maybe someone slipped something into my drink last night," I joke around.

"Yeah, maybe..." Santana says with a sad smile that doesn't meet her eyes. She almost looks a little disappointed. "Well, I'm glad that we've solved that mystery. Besides, if you were jealous, it would have been for nothing."

"What do you mean?" I question, feeling intrigued by her last statement.

"Quinn wasn't flirting with me..." Santana replies.

"Are you sure cuz she was like all up in your grill for a good 10 minutes or so," I say back.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replies confidently. "Quinn's on the Mathletes team for Carmel... that's how I know her. We haven't seen each other in a while so she was kinda excited when she ran into me at the party," Santana explains. "Plus... she likes Rachel."

"_Oh._.." is really all I can say cuz now I feel like a complete jackass for acting the way I did.

This girl that I was sure that was hitting on my best friend was actually just catching up and probably trying to get information from San about Rachel. I have never felt dumber in my life... well, except for the whole Kelly debacle.

"So, she was asking you about Rachel... didn't see that coming," I finally state. "How does Rach feel about her?"

_Seriously... is everybody gay now?_

"I'm pretty sure she has a crush on her too, just judging by the way her face lights up whenever Quinn's name is mentioned," Santana dreamily replies before busting out in laughter. "I invited her over so that they could hang out in a group environment. Who knows... by the end of movie night, maybe one of them will man up and ask the other out."

"Yeah, I guess we'll see," I reply back. "Hey San... can I ask you something?"

"Sure, B... you can ask me anything," she says back.

"Do _you_ like girls?" I cautiously ask.

She takes a few seconds to ponder over her answer before finally responding.

"Honestly, I've never given it much thought one way or the other," she begins. "I think when I find the person that I want to be with, I'll just know and hopefully won't be too much of a coward not to do anything about it."

As the words leave Santana's mouth, she's looking at me with an intensity that I've never witnessed before. It's almost as if she's trying to tell me something more with her eyes but I can't quite figure it out.

The longer she states into my eyes, the harder it is for me to look away and not be drawn closer to her. As I try to look at something else - _anything else_ - my eyes flicker down to her luscious lips. That was definitely a mistake cuz now all I can think about is removing the space between us and attaching her lips to mine. As my body starts to lean in, I see Santana lick her lips but she remains rooted in her spot.

_Is this really about to happen?_

Am I about to cross _that_ line and kiss my best friend?

Before I have a chance to contemplate further, the sound of the front door opening and closing breaks me away from this trance-like state I was in

"Specs, we're here!" I hear Mercedes' voice echo from downstairs.

Santana and I both take a step away from each as our little group files in, one by one.

"I guess it's time to start..." Santana says breathlessly.

"Yeah, I guess so..." I reply in the same manner.

"Britt, you're here!" Sam exclaims as he lifts me up into the air and begins to swing us back and forth.

"Sammy... gonna... hurl..."

"Oh, sorry..." Sam says as he puts me back onto the ground. "I'm just so excited that you're here."

"Yeah, Britt... we thought you'd be hanging with Kelly today," Mercedes chimes in.

"Yeah... about that..." I begin, not really sure on how I should break the news to the group. "Actually, I want to ask you guys something. In your total honest opinion, what do you guys think about Kelly?"

No one answers me right away or tries to make eye contact. All I see are a bunch of teens scratching their heads and mumbling incoherent words.

"C'mon guys, I'm being dead serious," I try to explain, hoping that might coax out some answers. "I promise I won't get mad, I just really wanna know what y'all think."

"I don't like the bitch," Mercedes states in a simple, nonchalant manner. "There, I said it."

"Okay, who's next?"

"She's okay... just not really who I would picture you with," Mike says as Sam and Tina nod their head in agreement.

"Kelly seems to be a little too full of herself with her good looks and flexibility, but I don't think that makes her a bad person or anything," Rachel says in her normal speed talk voice that we sometimes wish we had subtitles for.

"This coming from the girl that never shuts up about how she's going to be the next Broadway star..." Mercedes cuts in, making the rest of us laugh.

"Hey, you guys knew what you were signing up for when you agreed to be my friend," Rachel retorts.

"She does have a point there," I reply, smiling back at Rachel. "So, what about you San?"

"She's fine," she states as she looks away from me and shrugs her shoulders.

"San, c'mon... I know there's been some tension between you guys for a while now," I say back. "Please, just tell me."

Santana looks around the room at our other friends - seemingly for confirmation - before she responds.

"Fine... if you really wanna know what I think, I'll tell you," she starts off. Once I give her a head nod she continues. "Kelly is self-centered, obnoxious, and _way_ too cocky for my taste. I don't trust her. And I definitely don't think she deserves to call someone as awesome, sweet, funny, and beautiful as you her girlfriend."

_Well fuck me running_.

As Santana stares at her carpeted floor and fiddles with her glasses, I glance around the room to see an array of stunned faces and wide eyes. I did ask for brutal honesty. I already figured that Santana didn't care much for Kelly, but I never knew to what extent. I also didn't know that San thought so highly of me. It was very sweet and refreshing to hear.

"Well then..." I state slowly as Santana slightly lifts up her head to meet my eyes, "I guess it's a good thing that I broke up with her..."

"Y-you did?" Santana stumbles out. As I nod in confirmation, she continues. "When? Why?"

"Yeah, Britt... I thought things were going well between you two," Rachel states.

"It happened last night after the party," I begin to answer. "She just wasn't who I thought she was..."

I leave my response vague because I didn't really want to go into great detail. I didn't want to have to explain that the girl I called my girlfriend for the past 5 months was really only dating me because I was attractive and because she wanted to get into my pants. That just makes me seem lame and pathetic. I know my friends wouldn't think that, but it's still a lot to process in less than 24 hours.

"Are you okay?" Santana sincerely asks as she grabs my hand.

"Yeah, I'm good... I think it was a long time coming." I lightly squeeze her hand to reassure her that I really am alright. "Okay, now that we've got sad and lazy part out of the way, let's get to the movies."

As everyone begins to settle in, there's a light knock on the door.

"Hello?" I hear a soft voice whisper into the room.

"Oh, hey you... come on in," Santana greets as the girl enters the room. "You guys remember Quinn…"

"Yeah, from the party..." Sam states. "Glad you could make it."

"Thanks for the invite," she says as gives Santana a quick side hug.

The sight of this does not make me happy, even though Santana already told me that Quinn likes Rachel. I'm so consumed by Kelly's words from the previous night that I don't even register Quinn taking a seat next to Rachel and the two of them exchanging bashful smiles. For the life of me, I can't seem to take my eyes off of Santana.

Hmm... maybe I am jealous.

_Well, fuck..._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys, here's the next installment. Brittany sure is swimming in some deep denial, huh? Anyways, hopefully you guys enjoyed it. I'm gonna be take a short break from this story cuz I really need to finish _**Recipe for Disaster** _and _**You and Me**_. Hopefully this will occupy you for now. Thanks again for reading

**-Kris**

**Songs Used:**

_**Invisible Man**_ by **98 degrees**

**Disclaimer:** Nope… still don't own anything.


	6. Honesty

The past few weeks have been _interesting_, to say the least. Ever since Brittany and Kelly broke up, things between us have gotten back to normal… well, normal for the most part.

After she apologized for acting all psycho at the party, I forgave her and that was the end of that. However, I'm still so confused as to why she acted that way to begin with. For a moment there, I thought that she might actually have feelings for me too, but when I confronted her about being jealous, she denied it.

And as far as the _almost_ kiss... we never talked about that or what it would've meant if we did kiss. When Britt started to lean in, I froze. My brain couldn't compute that this might actually happen so I just stood there in shock. Subconsciously, I licked my lips in preparation, but it was in vain.

Again, this was one of those instances where my mind leads me to believe that Brittany actually likes me. But of course, something always happens to open up my eyes and assure me that she will never feel the same way.

I just don't know what to think anymore.

* * *

It's a typical Wednesday night. I'm sitting in my room with my headphones on, going over my notes for the AP Calculus exam I have tomorrow. As I reach the end of my notes, I get a surprise visit from Sam and Mercedes.

"What up Specs!" Mercedes greets me.

"Hey guys, what are you up to?" I ponder as I remove my ear buds.

"We were thinkin' of hitting the up the movies and wanted to see if you wanted to join us," Mercedes responds.

"Yeah, we're gonna go see Catching Fire again," Sam adds in. "Katniss is so hot!"

"Yeah... I can't argue with you on that," I reply, flashing a half-smile.

"So, whataya say?"

"Gee, I don't know guys... I have a big AP Calc test tomorrow."

"Please... don't pretend like you actually have to study," the diva interrupts. "You and I both know that you're more intelligent than the old bag that teaches your class."

Again… I can't argue with that.

My AP Calc teacher is older than dirt and I could probably teach the class with my eyes closed. I already have all of the formulas memorized and I know I'll do fine on the test tomorrow. However, just because I'm naturally smart, I'm not arrogant enough to just blow off studying.

"Who else is going?"

"Brittany was gonna be our next stop," Mercedes answers.

Already I feel my heart rate start to increase. I guess I didn't hide my change in demeanor very well.

"Okay, what's going on San?" Sam asks concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"Just now, when I mentioned Britt's name... you got this weird look on your face," he responds. "What's going on with you guys?"

"Nothing," I reply a little too quickly.

"Nothing my ass!" Mercedes scoffs. "You guys have been off since Kelly came into the picture. I'm guessing you still haven't told her how you feel?"

No answer.

"San, what's the problem?" Sam questions. "Are you not going to tell her?"

I shrug my shoulders.

"Why not?"

"Cuz... Brittany doesn't feel the same way as me," I sadly answer. "I'm not gonna risk our friendship over my stupid feelings."

"What makes you think that she doesn't feel the same way about you?" Mercedes questions in a softer tone than I'm usual. It's kinda weird cuz I'm used to her being loud and snarky, but she seems genuinely concerned about me and my love life.

"I told you, I just know…" I respond. "Brittany is perfect; I'm just her geeky little sidekick. Why would she ever be interested in someone like me?"

"San... you're an amazing girl. I don't know why you think so low of yourself, especially when it comes to Brittany," Sam assures.

"Look at me compared to her last girlfriend... we're completely different," I try to reason with him. "I think it's pretty obvious that I'm not Brittany's type."

"Girl, stop trying to compare yourself with Kelly. You're nothing like her... you're better," Mercedes simply says. "Sure, on the outside, Kelly might be super-hot and popular, but on the inside... she was a straight up bitch!"

This makes me smile.

"Look guys, I really appreciate the pep talk but it's just not gonna happen," I state. "Even if by some weird twist of fate Brittany did have feelings for me, I don't wanna be her rebound. I think that would hurt way worse if we got together and she still wasn't over Kelly yet."

"San, honey... I don't think Kelly is an issue anymore, but I understand if you'd rather keep things the way they are now," Mercedes politely responds. "We just don't like seeing you when you're hurting..."

"I appreciate it guys, I really do..." I reply with a small smile. "I just need to figure out a way to get over these feelings and make things go back to normal."

"Well, you know we're always here if you need to talk."

"Yeah, I know... thanks guys."

* * *

Unbeknownst to Santana, a similar conversation was taking place next door at her blonde counterpart's house.

"So, have you talked to Kelly recently?" Rachel asks.

"No. She called me the day after we broke up, asking me to forgive her and if we could get back together..."

"What did you say?" Mike asks.

"I told her to lose my number," Brittany smirks in response.

"Good for you, Britt!" Mike exclaims. "You know I don't like to pry, but that girl was bad news. You deserve so much better."

"Thanks Mikey!"

"Speaking of better options... what's up you and San?" Rachel questions.

"Nothing's up. Why do you ask?"

"Here we go again..." Rachel says exasperatedly as she throws her hands into the air.

"I think what Rach is trying to say is... do you like Santana?" Mike interprets.

"Of course I like her... she's my best friend," Brittany responds dumbly, knowing exactly what the Asian boy meant.

"Britt, c'mon... you know that's not what I meant," Mike states as Rachel rolls her eyes behind him.

"I mean, I don't know... I've never really thought about her like that," Brittany states honestly. "She's always just been San to me..."

"I get that, but you gotta admit... things haven't been the same between you two since the whole Kelly thing," Mike explains. "Like when we were at that party and you dragged San away when she was talking to Quinn..."

Brittany slightly flinches at the mention of the other blonde's name.

"Yeah, about that... do you not like Quinn or something?" Rachel questions.

"Why would I not like your girlfriend?" Brittany lamely counters.

"I don't know, but you did seem to be a little jealous when San was talking to her at that party. We all noticed it," Rachel explains.

Brittany doesn't say anything. She just stands there, picking at her nails as she looks at the ground.

"Britt... were you jealous?" Mike softly asks.

"I don't know... _maybe?_" Brittany responds, sounding very unsure of herself. "I didn't know that she and San were old friends. I thought she was flirting with San and that didn't sit well with me. I'm sorry Rach."

"Sweetie, it's okay," little Streisand says, wrapping her arm around Brittany's shoulders from the side. "At least now that explains why you haven't really given Quinn a chance to get to know you. Santana was probably just doing me a favor and finding out a little more about her on my behalf since I would've been way too chicken to do it myself."

"I thought she was flirting with Quinn. When I confronted her on it, she didn't exactly say no..."

"And how did that make you feel?" Rachel inquires.

"Not great. It's part of the reason Kelly and I got into an argument that night and broke up. There were some other things that were brought to my attention that night as well, but it just all became too much. I thought I was gonna explode."

Up until this point, this is the most that Brittany has told her friends about why she and Kelly broke up. She knows that she can trust them and be completely open about the horrible things Kelly said and how she was just using her, but Brittany decides that she rather not dwell on it and just move on.

"Did you tell Santana that?" Mike asks.

"No... I mean, we did talk the next day when I apologized to her for acting so crazy. And then..."

Brittany pauses, remembering the _almost_ kiss that followed her apology.

"And then... _what?_" Rachel pushes.

"Uh... we kinda, _almost_ kissed..."

"What?!" Rachel and Mike say in unison.

"_Yeah_..."

"Okay, spill it Pierce!" Rachel demands.

"Nothing happened..." Brittany begins. "San was explaining how Quinn _wasn't_ flirting with her cuz she was asking about you. So then, I asked her if she liked girls and she gave me a vague response that didn't exactly give me a direct yes or no," she continues. "I don't know… after that, we just stared at each other. Just as our lips were getting closer to each other, you guys showed up for movie night..."

"Oh... our bad," Rachel states.

"We haven't talked about it since. We've just kinda acted like it never happened..."

"So, what does that mean exactly?" Mike asks.

"Yeah, cuz it sounds like you like her," Rachel chimes in.

"I think about her a lot; but after the whole Kelly thing, I'm just so confused about everything," Brittany sincerely states. "I don't wanna drag San into my craziness when I'm still trying to figure myself out. Besides, who's to say that she actually likes me like _that?_"

Rachel and Mike share a look between each other.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well... I'm out so it's not like she would have to be afraid that I'd be disgusted or something if she told me that she had feelings for me," Brittany replies.

"True, but you know that Santana isn't cynical enough to think that just because you like girls - _and she just so happens to be one_ - that you'll like her by default," Rachel explains.

"I don't know... I just don't wanna make things weird or awkward between us," Brittany explains. "We're finally starting to get back to how we used to be. I don't wanna risk that on a 'what if' situation."

"Understandable... I just don't want you guys to possibly miss out on something amazing," Mike simply says.

"I guess I just think of it this way... if San and I are meant to be more than friends, then it will happen when it's supposed to," Brittany confidently states. "If something were to happen between us, I want it to be perfect and not rushed."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Rachel says.

* * *

After their individual pep talks, Sam and Mercedes meet up with Rachel and Mike to discuss their other two friends.

"I tell ya... those girls are in some deep denial!" Mercedes exclaims as she begins to rub her temples.

"I agree... for two incredibly bright young ladies, they are both completely idiotic when it comes to their feeling for each other," Rachel adds in.

"At least Brittany seems to be open to the idea in the future," Mike chimes in. "I think it's very mature of her to not want to rush into another relationship without figuring some stuff out first."

"And Santana is just scared of losing her best friend," Sam says. "Can you really blame her though, especially after seeing how much her relationship with Kelly affected their friendship?"

"I agree with Sam," Mercedes states. "I know I give Specs a hard time, but I would never want to push her into something she's not prepared for."

"So we shouldn't just lock both of them in a room and tell them that they like each other?" Rachel questions. "It seems like it would be so much easier and solve this problem."

"It would be easier, but I think they both just need some time," Mike answers.

"Ahh... these two give me a damn headache," Mercedes exclaims.

* * *

It's a Sunday night and I have nothing to do. I've already finished my homework that I was assigned over the weekend and I don't have any tests coming up this week. I'm _literally_ bored out of my mind.

As I look outside my window and into Brittany's across the way, I see her dancing around her room without a care in the world. She's so light on her feet and moves so effortlessly. Watching her dance is definitely one of my favorite things. I could be hanging out with Britt right now but I think being alone with her would make it a _bit_ more difficult with my whole plan of trying to _"get over"_ her.

I meant what I said earlier this week when I talked to Sam and Mercedes. I don't _want_ to spend less time with Brittany, but at this point in time, I think it's the only way I can get rid of these feelings I have for her.

_AAAHHHH!_

Thinking about Brittany makes my head hurt. Oddly enough, trying to _not_ think about her makes it hurt even worse.

"_Why don't you be my girlfriend? I'll treat ya good_..." I sing along as I carelessly strum my guitar. "_I know you hear your friends when they say you should_..."

_Knock... knock... knock..._

"Hope I wasn't _interrupting_ anything..." Sam politely states as he steps into my room.

"Naw... I was just reminiscing about the good ol' days when *Nsync was still together," I coolly respond, placing my guitar against my desk.

"So that song had nothing to do with the cute little blonde that lives right next door?" Sam questions as he nods his head towards Brittany's house. I don't make eye contact with him. Instead, I just shake my head and begin fiddling with the hem of my shirt. "_Right_..."

"So, Trouty... what brings you to my neck of the woods?" I ask, trying to deflect the heat off of me.

"Wow... I must've really hit a sore spot," Sam faintly replies as he places his hand over his heart. "Usually Mercedes is the only one that makes fun of my big guppy lips."

"Sorry... I've just really been having a hard time with all of these feelings."

"It's all good... I figured as much," he states with a small smile. "Look San... I know we kinda promised to lay off you with all of the Brittany stuff, but I think not telling her is a mistake."

I look at Sam with questioning eyes. I guess I just don't understand why he's been pushing the issue so much.

"I feel like if you don't tell her, you'll end up missing out on something great," he continues. "I just don't want you to be sad and possibly regret not going after the girl you want, especially if she starts dating someone else."

I think long and hard about Sam's words. Deep in my heart, I know that Britt and I would be amazing together. However, is it worth risking our friendship if she doesn't feel the same? Is being silent worth watching my heart break when the next girl comes along and sweeps her off her feet because I was too much of a coward to do it myself?

"I'm sorry to bring it up again," Sam sincerely states.

"It's ok..." I respond. "I know you're right... I'm just scared of losing my best friend."

"How bout we jam out and forget about all of this for a little while?" Sam suggests. I nod my head at the idea. "Cool, you pick the song."

As I rack my brain for possible song choices, I look down at my shirt and she the red and yellow "S" prominently displayed against the royal blue background. I pick my guitar back up and start lightly strumming a melody.  
_**  
She's watching the taxi driver  
He pulls away…  
She's been locked up inside her apartment  
A hundred days...**_

Sam smiles as he hears me sing the first few lyrics. He then takes over.

_**She says, "Yeah... he's still coming, just a little bit late...  
He got stuck at the laundromat washing his cape"**_

I smile back at him and sing my part.

_**She's just watching the clouds roll by  
And they spell her name, like Lois Lane  
And she smiles...  
Oh, the way she smiles**_

We then sing the chorus together, going back and forth.

_**She's talking to angels  
She's counting the stars  
Making a wish on a passing car  
She's dancing with strangers  
She's falling apart...  
Waiting for Superman to pick her up  
In his arms, yeah... (2x)**_  
_**  
She's waiting for Superman...**_

I'm so completely lost in the music that I don't even notice Brittany staring at us from her window.

_**To lift her up...  
And take her anywhere  
Show her love...  
And flying through the air  
Save her now, before it's too late tonight  
Oh, at the speed of light**_

I finally look out my window and find Brittany's eyes with mine.  
_**  
And she smiles...**_

Almost as if she could read my lips, Brittany gives me a big toothy grin that melts my heart.

As Sam and I finish up the song, I feel so much better about the situation.

"I think I'm in love with her..." I say to no one in particular.

"Oh shit... that's kinda serious San," Sam replies in shock.

"Yeah... I know," I respond with a faraway look. "I'm gonna tell her..."

"Like, _for real_ for real?" Sam says as his eyes light up.

"Yeah, for real... on one condition," I strategically reply.

"What's that?" Sam cautiously inquires.

"You have to tell Cedes that you like her..." I say in a serious tone.

"W-what are you talking about?" Sam stutters out.

"C'mon Sam, I know you've got a thing for her," I reply knowingly. "You spend more time with her than anyone else in our group. Besides, that whole speech about regretting if I didn't tell her seemed like it was coming from a _more_ personal place."

"Is it that obvious?" Sam shyly asks.

"Yeah, a little bit," I answer back. Sam's face falls slightly. "Don't worry... she likes you too," I reassure him. "Why do you think she bust your balls so much all of the time?"

This seems to make him smile.

"She acts like a heartless bitch 99% of the time..." Sam starts out, "but then... there's that 1% of her that's just awesome and sweet. I see hints of it sometimes when she's defending her friends or talking about her family. I don't know... maybe I could show her that it's okay to let that 1% shine."

As Sam speaks so highly of the resident bitch of our group, I can't help but feel in awe.

"Aww, Sammy... you really care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do..." he replies as he ducks his head. "I see how Mike looks at Tina, how giddy Rachel gets when Quinn's name is mentioned; hell, I even see how your eyes light up whenever Britt walks into a room..." the blonde boy continues. "I just want someone special too; I want that person to be Mercedes."

"I think you guys will make an awesome couple," I exclaim. "When do you think you'll tell her?"

"I don't know... when are you gonna tell Brittany?"

I ponder over when would be the best time to tell Brittany about my feelings and exactly what I'm even going to say to her. My mind is drawing blanks. All I can see is me standing in front of Brittany, profusely sweating, as she stares at me, waiting for the words to come out of my mouth.

"How bout this... after school tomorrow, I'll talk to Mercedes and you'll talk to Britt?" Sam suggests.

"Okay..." I slowly breathe out. Apparently I had been holding my breath.

"Alrighty, then it's set!" Sam says excitedly. "Tomorrow, we're both getting our girls!"

Sam then raises his hand, which I feel compelled to meet with mine in a high five.

Tomorrow's gonna be a good day. Tomorrow... I'll finally tell my best friend - _aka the girl of my dreams_ - that I'm crazy about her.

* * *

A couple of hours after Sam left, I sat in room, racking my brain for the perfect way to tell Brittany how I feel. As the minutes tick by, I feel myself getting less anxious and more excited about the possibility of Brittany being my girlfriend.

_Hmm… maybe I could put it in a song?_ Brittany really likes it when I sing to her. _Yeah… that sounds like a good idea. But… what song?_

"_She was like… oh my God, this is my song! I've been listenin' to the radio all night long_," I playfully sing along as I lazily graze my fingers against the chords of my guitar. "_Sittin' 'round waitin' for it to come on… and here it is_."

_Knock… knock… knock…_

I feel like I'm experiencing déjà vu.

As I look up, I see my mother standing in the doorway of my room.

"Hey mama, what's up?" I casually ask.

"I need to talk to you," she responds in a very serious tone.

I immediately put down my guitar and give her my undivided attention. I have no idea what she needs to discuss with me, but it sounds really important. Usually my mom is so busy with work stuff whenever she's at home that I rarely get to spend any real quality time with her. To be honest, I didn't even know that she was home. When you're a surgeon, there's no telling how long you'll be at the hospital on a day-to-day basis.

"Mama, is everything okay?" I ask, suddenly worried about whatever it is that's bothering her. I try to decipher the expression on her face, but have zero luck figuring it out.

"That depends…" she responds vaguely.

"On?" I answer back.

"On whether or not my ears were deceiving me earlier…" she replies.

"I'm not following… Mom, please tell me what's wrong," I plead.

"I overheard your conversation with Samuel earlier…"

"What about my co—" I stop mid-sentence once I realize the topic of our discussion… _Brittany_.

_Holy shit! My mom knows about my feelings for Brittany! _

As I slowly make eye contact with my mom, the look on her face speaks volumes.

"Mom… I was gonna tell you and Dad, I swear!" I state, hoping that she won't be too mad that I didn't share this information with her earlier. "I just kinda figured out my feelings for myself and whether I was gonna do anything about them, otherwise I would've already told you."

My mom is silent for a moment. I can't tell what's going on inside her head, but I'm kinda terrified to find out.

"So… it's true then?" my mom questions.

"Yeah… I'm in love with Brittany," I admit aloud for the second time in the past few hours. It feels good to say out loud.

Again, my mom says nothing for a few moments.

"No…"

"No?" I question.

"No," she repeats again, harsher than the first time. "That will not be tolerated in this house."

"You… what? What are you saying?"

I'm so confused by my mother's response that I'm barely making any sense myself.

"I knew that Pierce girl was trouble," my mom mumbles under her breath.

"Mom… you're not making any sense."

I mean, _seriously_… the word _trouble_ and Brittany don't even belong in the same sentence.

"You will not bring shame to our family!" my mother yells at me, startling me. "This is an abomination and a sin in His eyes."

_I'm sorry… since when did my mother become a Bible thumper? _

That's what I want to say to her, but she's still my mother and an adult, so I try my best to tread lightly and not be disrespectful. Honestly though, I can't remember the last time we went to church as a family.

"Since when do you have a problem with gay people?" I inquire, still trying to piece together how we ended up here. "When I first told you Brittany was gay, you were fine with it. What changed?"

"Brittany is not _my_ daughter…" she replies as if it's the most obvious thing.

"Oh, I get it now… you were cool with Britt being gay, just as long as it didn't _directly_ affect you," I retort, feeling myself getting worked up. "For someone who always taught me to be open and accepting, don't you think you're being a little hypocritical now?"

As the words leave my mouth, not even a split-second passes by as I feel a stinging pain on the left side of my cheek. As I rub my hand against my cheek, I can't believe that my mother just slapped me. I'm trying hard not to cry, but the pain hurts so much.

"You will not talk to me in that manner!" my mother finally replies. "If that's the type of lifestyle you choose to live, then you'll have to fine somewhere else to do it. It will not be accepted here!"

Without another word, she leaves my room, stern expression still intact. I don't know what the hell just happened, but I'm scared. My mom has never hit me before… I've never given her a reason to. Just hours ago, I finally gained enough confidence to express my deepest feelings to Brittany. But now… I'm not so sure what to do. Based on what just took place with my mom, I feel like if I tell Brittany, my mother will hate me.

As a million things run through my head, I finally let the tears fall from my eyes as I curl up into a little ball on my bed.

_Where did everything go so wrong?_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys… I'm back! Sorry about the lack of interaction between Santana and Brittany and for the drama at the end. I know it sucks, but every story needs a little angst (and somebody's gotta be the bad guy). Plus, I was trying to give you a little more insight into how both girls were handling the situation and why they've been reluctant to tell each other how they feel. Hope you found some of the happier parts enjoyable.

Till next time,

-Kris

**Songs Used:**

_**Girlfriend**_ by ***Nsync**

_**Waiting for Superman**_ by **Daughtry**

_**Play it Again**_ by **Luke Bryan**

**Disclaimer:** I own **NOTHING!**


	7. And the Hits

_The next morning..._

After not really getting to spend much time with Santana over the weekend, I was really looking forward to seeing her in class. I thought about going over to her house yesterday to hang out, just the two of us, but after the day went on and I didn't hear anything from her, I guessed that I would be flying solo.

It's weird though...

Ever since I broke up with Kelly, things have gotten better between me and San and we've been spending a lot more time together; however, whenever we do hang out, it's always in a group setting. I can't remember the last time we hung out alone.

Well... that's not _entirely_ true.

The last time we were alone together was the day we almost kissed. I wish I would've been brave enough to just dive in and plant one right on her, but I wasn't and then we were interrupted and haven't talked about it since. I guess it's for the best though cuz the timing was just awful. The last thing I would want is for Santana to think I was just using her as a rebound or something.

I'm just not sure what's going on between us anymore and to be honest... I'm kinda afraid to ask. I mean, what if Rachel and Mike were right and San does like me? Don't get me wrong... that would be awesome! However, like I told them, I don't want to rush into anything, especially when it comes to San.

I think that's where I went wrong with the whole Kelly thing.

I was so excited about the fact that a girl actually liked me that I ignored all of the obvious signs that Kelly was completely wrong for me. I think because I was so terrified of coming out to begin with, I freaked myself out into believing that I would be alone forever cuz I didn't know anyone else in this town that was gay. The moment Kelly batted her eyelashes at me, I jumped at the opportunity to get to know her.  
_  
And look where that got me._

After the break-up, Trevor, one of Kelly's guy friends, contacted me on Facebook and told me that he was sorry about what went down between me and her. He informed me that Kelly was a player and basically slept with any girl that would open their legs for her. I guess the reason he told me all of this was because he felt guilty about knowing about all of Kelly's extra-curricular activities while I was completely in the dark. Trevor told me that I was a cool chick and we've actually kept in touch since then.

You know what the ironic thing about all of this is?

I didn't even like Kelly that much. Sure, she was attractive and had a decent personality, but that was basically it. I tolerated her for as long as I did because I liked the idea of having a girlfriend more than actually having one. Maybe if I had had a better girlfriend, like someone who actually cared about me, then I would feel differently. Maybe if I had someone like Santana, things would've worked out and we'd still be together.

Nevertheless, Kelly will always hold a special place in my heart because she was my first girlfriend. Don't worry though... the place that she holds is very small and will hopefully by filled by someone even better.

* * *

As I sit in homeroom, the sound of the bell breaks me away from my thoughts. I'm confused as to why the seat next to me - _which is usually occupied by Santana_ - is still empty. I look around the room to see if maybe I've missed her entrance, but no dice. I'm a little worried because Santana has never been late or missed class before.

After a few minutes have passed and there's still no sign of Santana, I sneakily retrieve my phone and shoot her a text.

**To San:** _Hey, where r u? I'm starting 2 get worried :(_

Halfway during class, I check my phone, hoping to see the message indicator lit up. Sadly, it's not.

After class, I run into the bathroom and try to call Santana. Unfortunately, it doesn't ring at all. Instead, her phone goes straight to voicemail, indicating that it's off. I leave a quick message and then run off to second period. When I get there, I spot a seat next to Mercedes.

"Hey Cedes, have you seen San by any chance?"

"Nah girl, I usually don't see her until lunch," she responds. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, but I'm getting a little concerned," I reply. "She didn't show up for homeroom and her phone is off."

"Hmm, that is weird. I've haven't seen or talked to Specs since Saturday."

"This just doesn't make sense," I say more to myself.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation," Mercedes tries to assure me.

Before I have a chance to respond, the bell rings and our teacher wastes no time diving into the lesson.

* * *

After third period passes and I've still yet to hear from my Latina bestie, I head to lunch in hopes that someone else from the group has heard from her.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Mike says to the group.

"Nothin' much bro," Sam replies as he and Mike do there little goofy handshake. "Hey Cedes..." he says a little shyly.

_Weird._

"Has anyone heard from Santana today?" I address the group.

"No, why... is she not here?" Rachel ponders.

"No, and I haven't been able to get ahold of her either."

"Really? That's weird... I just saw her last night," Sam states casually.

Something about the way he says that rubs me the wrong way. Of course he would know since he was hanging out with San yesterday. I was already bummed last night when I didn't get to hang out with San for whatever reason. At one point though when I happened to look out my window, I saw her playing her guitar and singing some song. I always love it when she sings so my natural reaction was to smile widely at her. To my surprise though, I was not expecting to see Sam in the background, singing along with her.

Don't get me wrong... Sam is a great guy and like a brother to me. However, lately it seems like every time I look into Santana's room to see what she's up to, he's always there. I wonder if there's something going on between them? That would explain the distance I've felt between her and I as of late. What if she did like me but doesn't anymore because she's into Sam now?

_God, I hope that isn't the case._

"I know she wouldn't have missed school today unless something important came up," Sam says knowingly.

That's it... I can't take this anymore, Sam seemingly knowing more about my best friend than I do these days.

"Sam, can I speak to you for a second... in private?" I emphasize in a not so friendly manner.

"Sure, B... what's up?" Sam asks as we step outside the cafeteria.

"Okay, what the hell is going on between you and San?" I demand.

"What are you talking about Britt?" Sam questions back.

"Why is it that I rarely get to spend any quality time with my best friend these days, but every time I look up, _you're_ at her house?"

"Woah, B... you've got it all wrong," Sam tries to explain, but I don't want to hear it.

"Do I? I mean, at first you and everyone else were like _'what's up with you and San?'_ but now, you're like attached to her hip," I retort. "If you guys liked each other, why didn't you just tell me instead of making me believe she had feelings for me?"

At this point, I'm exasperated and have no idea what I'm even saying.

"I know that San wouldn't just screw up her perfect attendance if it wasn't for something important," I sigh as I lean against the locker and slower slump down to the ground. "The fact that you were apparently the last one of us to talk to her or see her bothers me. I feel like I've been replaced."

"Aww, Britt..." Sam says as he slumps down beside me. "Trust me... it's not like that at all. San's just been helping me with something."

"And what's that?" I inquire.

"She was helping me figure out a way to tell Mercedes that I like her," he mumbles out quickly.

"You like Cedes?!" I yell out in shock.

"Yes, Jesus... keep it down, would ya?" Sam says as he covers my mouth with his hand. "I don't want the whole school to know before I get a chance to tell her."

"My bad... I just wasn't expecting that," I apologize. "Since when?"

"I don't know... I guess it started when you and Kelly started dating," he replies. I turn my head in disgust at the sound of my exes name and give him a skeptical look. "Once you guys started dating, little by little, everyone else in our little group started pairing off. And so, I started hanging out with San and Mercedes a lot more."

"_Oh..._ I guess that makes sense," I respond, feeling a bit foolish now.

"That's why I was a little surprised when you said Santana wasn't here cuz she was supposed to give me a little pep talk before I talked to Mercedes."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Sammy... Mercedes would be lucky to have you," I state sincerely.

"Thanks Britt!"

"So... you don't have feelings for San?" I cautiously ask, just to make sure. Sam shakes his head no. "And San doesn't have feelings for you?"

At the sound of this, his big guppy lips from an endearing smile.

"Nope... I'm not the blonde she's interested in," he replies with a wink as he gets up from the ground, offering me his hand. "We better get back before our food gets cold."

"Yeah, okay..." I respond, still trying to process his last comment.

* * *

After I get out of my last class for the day, I hope in my car and head to Santana's house. Throughout the day, I've sent numerous text messages and left a couple of messages, all with no response. It's very uncharacteristic of Santana to at least text me back or communicate with me in some fashion to let me know she's okay. Something had to be up… I just don't know what.

As I parked my car in my driveway, I walk over to the Lopez's house and knock on the door. After a few knocks, the door finally opens, revealing Mrs. Lopez on the other side.

"Hey Mrs. L, is Santana home? She wasn't at school today so I just wanted to come by and check on her," I explain.

"She's sick," Mrs. Lopez replies very shortly.

"Oh, okay... is there anything I can do? Can I see her?"

"No, you've done enough. Go home Brittany," Mrs. Lopez sharply states as she closes the door in my face.

After the initial shock wears off, I drag my feet across the yard and make my way inside of the house. I don't know exactly what just happened, but I most certainly didn't like it. Mrs. Lopez has always been very warm and super sweet to me; hell, she's like a second Mom to me. But that lady that I just spoke to was most certainly not her.

Maybe she had a rough day at work cuz she's usually not home at this time. Maybe it's that time of the month or maybe she's heading into menopause and it's jacking up her hormones. Or maybe she just hasn't gotten laid in a while.

_Hmm... maybe I should talk to Mr. L so he can take care of that._

Once I make it to my room, I immediately look out my window to see if I can catch a glimpse of my best friend. What's weird is that her curtains are closed. Her curtains are never closed. At this point, I feel so hopeless. At least I know that she's okay, but still... I can't stand not being able to talk to or see my best friend. I don't know what's going on over there, but it must be something extremely serious.

Not knowing what else to do, I send Sam a text.

**To Sammy:** _Went to check on San, but her mom wouldn't let me see her. Mrs. L is acting weird. Maybe you'll have better luck  
_  
After I hit send, I remember that my blonde friend had something important to do after school.

**To Sammy:** _Btw, hope everything went well with u & Cedes ;)_

After a couple of minutes, Sam responds back.

**From Sammy:** _Thanx! We're actually getting ice cream at the moment so I'm gonna tell her in a few mins. I'll stop by San's later to see if her mom has cooled down_

**To Sammy:** _Ok, sounds good :)_

Not knowing what else to do at this point, I start on my homework. Once I'm done with that, I watch a few re-runs of The Big Bang Theory until dinner is ready. I don't eat much; I can't when there's so much on my mind. My parents notice that something's off with me, but thankfully decide not to question me about it.

After dinner, I return to my room and watch some more TV until I doze off.

* * *

Santana had been a mess ever since the incident with her mother. As she laid in bed, curled up in the fetal position, tears fell endlessly from her eyes. She cried and cried all through the night until her body was completely drained. Eventually, she fell asleep until her alarm for school went off. Looking at the clock, she realized that she had only drifted off for 45 minutes.

As Santana went into the bathroom to begin her morning routine, she became horrified at sight she saw once she looked at the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying all night. There were obvious bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep.

Quickly, Santana went into a frenzy looking for make-up to help conceal the state of her face. Santana never wore make-up, but she did on one occasion when one of her teammates accidentally elbowed her in the eye during swim practice. After that, she had stopped by the store and bought some concealer to hide the discoloration that was sure to appear and become worse as the hours passed.

Once she located said item, Santana began hearing some strange noises coming from inside her bedroom. As she popped her head out of the bathroom to see what the commotion was about, she was surprised to see her mother rifling through her things.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Santana asks while keeping a reasonable distance.

"You're not going to school today," Mrs. Lopez says as she unplugs Santana's lap top and wraps the cord around it.

"What do you mean I'm not going to school?"

"Was it the simplicity of my statement that's got you confused?" The older woman harshly replies.

Santana is stung by her mother's hasty tone.

"You're not going anywhere where _that _girl will be," Mrs. Lopez continues. "So that means no phone, no computer, and no school!"

"You can't keep me from going to school," Santana tries to reason with the doctor. "Brittany's my best friend _and_ our next door neighbor... you can't stop me from seeing her."

"Who in the hell do you think you're talking too?" Mrs. Lopez spits out as she takes a step closer to her daughter. "I am your mother. As long as you live under my roof, you will do as I say. So, if I say that you're not going to fucking school, then you're not going to fucking school!" Mrs. Lopez continues while lifting her hand up to point for emphasis.

Upon seeing this motion, Santana flinches, thinking that a replay of last night is about to take place. As Santana closes her eyes and prepares herself for more pain, she's surprised when it doesn't come. Realizing that her daughter is afraid of her, Mrs. Lopez slowly lowers her hand.

"Hija, I'm sorry..." her mother says apologetically. She doesn't miss the way that Santana winces at the term of endearment.

"Maribel... that's enough!" Mr. Lopez says firmly as he steps into his daughter's bedroom.

"Ben, I didn't mean to-" Mrs. Lopez tries to explain, but her husband doesn't want to hear any of it.

"Just go so I can talk to my daughter... alone," Mr. Lopez replies.

Maribel doesn't argue this time. Instead, she turns on her heels and exits Santana's bedroom. As soon as she disappears from sight, Ben turns to face his daughter. As he takes in the way that Santana's arms are protectively wrapped around her body, he can't help but feel his heart break.

"Oh, honey... c'mere," he says as he wraps his arms around his sobbing daughter.

As Santana falls into her father's embrace, he leads them over to sit on her bed. After a few minutes have passed and Santana has recollected herself, Mr. Lopez tries to talk to her.

"What's going on sweetie?" Mr. Lopez inquires.

"M-mami h-hates m-m-me..." Santana struggles to get out as she buries her face into her father's chest.

"Aww, sweetie... I'm sure that's not true," her father states as he rubs her back. "What would make you think that?"

"Because..." Santana tries to respond without choking up again. She feels a little hesitant to tell her Dad about her feelings for Brittany, especially after the terrible reaction she received from her mother.

"It's okay, honey... you can tell me anything," Mr. Lopez assures.

"I'm... I'm in l-love with B-B-Brittany."

For a few seconds, it's silent inside of Santana's bedroom. The longer her father goes without saying anything, the more worried she gets that his reaction will be just as bad as her mother's. Before she can internally panic though, she hears a light chuckle emitting from the older male.

"Can't say that I'm really surprised, Banana Bear," Mr. Lopez finally replies with a smile.

"Dad... I thought we retired that name," Santana whines upon hearing the childish nickname her father made up years ago.

"Oh, c'mon... it's cute," Mr. Lopez says with an adorable expression for a man in his early 40's. "You're still my little girl so that name will never be retired."

As Santana playfully rolls her eyes, she lets a small smile appear on her face for the first time in 12 hours.

"So... you're really okay with this?" Santana carefully asks as she looks into her father's eyes.

"Yes, sweetie... I really am," her father reassures. "Santana... you are my daughter and I love you with all of my heart. Short of becoming a psycho murderer, there's nothing you can say or do that will ever change that."

As Santana's eyes fill with happy tears, she hugs her dad more tightly. "I love you too, Dad!"

"Are you gonna tell her?" Mr. Lopez ponders.

"I don't know... I was planning on doing it today until all of this happened," Santana replies. "I'm just not sure anymore."

"That's understandable," her father kindly states. "So... tell me what happened with Mom," he gently asks.

Santana takes a deep breath before recounting the events still fresh in her mind. After she finishes, Mr. Lopez can tell how exhausted his daughter is.

"Get some rest, baby girl..." Mr. Lopez says as he tucks Santana in and places a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Once he sees that Santana is resting peacefully, he leaves her room and travels a few doors down to the master bedroom.

* * *

Once Mr. Lopez enters his bedroom, he spots his wife sitting on top of their bed. Finally feeling the anger and frustration topple over, he confronts his wife on what took place the previous night.

"What the hell did you do to our daughter?" Mr. Lopez says in the calmest tone he can muster.

"Look, Ben... I may have said and did some things I'm not proud of, but we can't let this happen," Maribel explains.

"Maribel... I'm gonna give you the opportunity to tell me in your own words what happened last night cuz what I walked in on this morning... I wasn't happy with," Ben says. "The last thing I expected to see after being away on business all week is my wife yelling at my daughter."

"Ben, she's in love with Brittany... a _girl_!" Maribel argues. "How can you be taking this so lightly?"

"Because she's my daughter!" Ben sharply replies. "Gay, straight, purple, green... I don't care! She's my daughter... _our _daughter!"

"You don't understand... this can't happen! It's a sin!"

"Oh, and you're a perfect angel?" Ben retorts. "Maribel, none of us are perfect. Just because Santana is starting to embrace her sexuality doesn't mean she isn't the same little girl that we raised."

"She _is_ different... and it's Brittany's fault!" Maribel a verily responds back.

"How can you even say that?" Ben questions. "Brittany has been nothing but a positive influence in our daughter's life. Up until yesterday, you thought the same thing too."

"Well, I was a fool. Besides, what does Santana know about love? She's only 16 for God's sake."

"Santana is constantly surrounded by love on a daily basis," Ben tries to reason with his wife. "Plus, we were only 18 when we met and fell in love. Don't you think you're being a little hypocritical?"

"What did you just say to me?" Maribel responds quickly as her hand begins to rise.

Apparently being called a hypocrite twice within a 24 hour period didn't sit well with her.

"What... you gonna hit me too, like you did our daughter last night?" Ben challenges her.

Sure... Ben knew that his wife had a temper; however, he had never seen her get this out of control. As Maribel lowers her hand and clenches it into a fist by her side, she looks at her husband with harden eyes.

"You may be fine with our daughter's _alternative_ lifestyle, but I'm not," Maribel states sternly. I will not condone nor tolerate it."

"If my daughter's happy, then that's all that matters to me," Ben firmly replies. "You're treating her like she's some type of criminal. _That_ will not be tolerated."

"Ya know, I never thought we'd be so fundamentally different on an issue of this magnitude," Maribel scoffs.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Ben responds. "This is _your_ issue... not mine and certainly not Santana's."

"Well, I'm sorry for caring about our daughter's future," Maribel replies.

"Santana's a smart girl; she'll be just fine, despite thinking that her mother hates her," Ben answers back.

"So... what are we gonna do here, Ben?" Maribel questions. "Clearly we're on opposite ends of the spectrum. I do _not_ and will _never_ accept this."

"Well, then... I don't really know what to tell you then," Ben sighs. "I will say this though; if you _ever_ put your hands on _my_ daughter again... we're done!"

As Maribel lets her husband's words sink in, she's surprised at his take charge attitude. Normally, Ben was more laid back and easy going. Perhaps when it comes to defending his daughter, a little of the badass side of him comes out.

"I don't know what happened to you, but you are _not_ the woman I married," Ben solemnly states. "Maybe you should go to work and find her."

Without another word, Ben leaves the room with a million things running through his mind. He's torn between protecting his daughter and reasoning with his wife.

In the 23 years that they've been together, the Lopezes have never had an argument like this. Ben isn't sure what to do next or what new revelation will mean for his family and his relationship with his wife. As he sits alone in his office, he hears the sound of garage opening, signaling that his wife was perhaps taking his advice and leaving the house.

"_What do I do now?_" Ben says aloud to himself as he closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

* * *

When Santana awakes again, it's almost 10pm. After realizing that she's been out for nearly 13 hours, she gets up to use the bathroom and wash her face. Once she re-enters her room, she notices her phone and lap top resting on her desk with a sticky note attached to it.

_Thought you'd might like to have these back. Dinner is in the fridge. Love, Dad :)_

_PS - Btw, Sam stopped by and Brittany called earlier. She seemed very worried about you. Maybe you should give her a call back ;)_

Santana smiles at the note as she grabs her phone and heads downstairs to heat up the dinner she missed. As her food is warming up, she turns on her phone and immediately sees numerous amounts if missed calls, voicemails, and text messages. The majority of them are from Brittany, - _of course_ - being concerned about her best friend. Mixed in are other texts from her group of friends, expressing the same sentiment.

After finishing her food, Santana grabs her house keys and makes the short journey next door. Although the lights are off, she can see that Brittany's window is open. It's been a while since she's snuck inside her best friend's bedroom, but she thought that now was a good time since she didn't want to ring the doorbell and wake up Brittany's parents.

After she quickly maneuvers her way up the tree, she clumsily trips into Brittany's bedroom after getting her foot caught on the window sill.

* * *

"Oww!" Santana silently shouts as she rubs the elbow she landed on.

"Shit!" I scream as I jump out of bed and grab the closest thing next to me to use as a weapon.

"Are you gonna beat me to death with a Nicholas Sparks book?" Santana jokingly states. "That seems a little twisted, don't ya think?"

"Santana?" I question as my vision comes into focus. Once I realize that there's not a prowler in my room, I lower the book in my hand. "Oh my God, Santana... I was so worried about you!" I state as I help my best friend off of the ground, immediately wrapping my arms tightly around her. "What happened?"

"Me and my mom got into a fight," Santana briefly states. "Sorry that I didn't call or write you back; she took my phone and computer away."

"Oh, wow... what are you guys fighting about? She told me you were sick when I stopped by earlier."

"She would say that," I hear Santana mumble under her breath. When I give her a questioning look, she shakes it off and continues. "I don't really wanna talk about it. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course," I softly reply.

I can tell that whatever is going on between San and her mother, it has greatly affected her. Judging by her mother's coldness to me earlier, I'd say that it has really affected her too.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to wake you up; I just missed you, I guess..." Santana bashfully says. She's just so damn cute that I want to hold her tighter and never let go. "Can you just hold me?"

"Of course," I instantly reply as I lead her over to my bed.

Once we're both under the covers, I place my arm over her midsection as we face each other. I can tell that she's been crying, based on the redness of her eyes and slight swelling around her eyes. I want to ask her about it, but I respect her request to not discuss what happened between her and her mother earlier.

As I look deeper into her eyes, I feel the urge to lean just a little bit closer and press our lips together. I want to do it so badly, but this most definitely not the right time, especially when she's in such a vulnerable state. My only job right now is to be her best friend and hold her until she falls asleep.

"Go to sleep, San... I've got you," I whisper as I gently kiss her forehead. She smiles in return as she turns to lay on her side with her back facing me. I tighten my grip around her waist and pull her closer to me. "I missed you too."

Santana doesn't say anything in response. Instead, she covers my hand with hers and laces our fingers together. Once I hear her breathing even out, I fall back asleep.

* * *

The next day at school, Santana briefly informs the rest of the group that she was "sick" to explain her absence yesterday. For the most part, everyone buys it and tells Santana that they hope she feels better. After most of the group leaves, Sam fills me and San in on his outing with Mercedes.

As Sam spoke about Mercedes, I could see his eyes light up as he explained to the diva about his feelings. He said that Mercedes was pretty shocked at first, but agreed to go on a date with him this Friday. We both told Sam how happy we were for him and how we hoped the things worked out between the two of them.

After that, I left to head to my next class. As I turned my head to get one last look at my friends - specifically Santana - I can't help but notice the intensity between them. San looks like she's telling Sam something very serious while Sam places a comforting hand on her shoulder. I know that Sam and Santana have zero romantic feelings for each other, but I can't help but feel like I'm witnessing an intimate moment. I feel like it should be me in Sam's place. I still feel like she's hiding something from me, but I don't want to push her if she's not ready to tell me yet.

Without wanting to intrude any longer, I turn my head and continue on to my class.

"I'm sorry to hear that, San... what are you gonna do?" Sam softly asks.

"I don't know... if I don't tell Brittany, then things will stay the same and she'll never know," Santana begins. "However, if I do tell her how I feel and about the fight with my mom, she'll blame herself and I don't want that. Plus, I don't know how my mom will react."

"Shit, San... I feel like an asshole for going on and on about my date with Mercedes," Sam apologizes.

"Don't be... I'm happy for you," Santana sincerely states. "If things work out, I think you'll make a cute couple."

"Thanks, San..." Sam responds. "Well, at least your Dad is cool with it."

"Yeah... thank God for him," Santana replies. "I don't know what I'd do without him. Whatever I do decide though, you can't say anything to Brittany."

"Great... another secret to keep from Brittany," Sam sighs.

"Well... it's either that or I'll have to kill you," Santana states in a serious manner.

"It's good to know that you haven't lost your humor," Sam chuckles out. Santana shrugs her shoulders in return.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. It was pretty long, so I split it into 2 chapters. Look out for the next chapter to be posted right after this one. Sorry about the heaviness, but trust me… it's necessary in order to get to the good stuff.

-Kris


	8. Just Keep on Comin'

As the weeks went by, things between Santana and her mother had not gotten any better. Every time the Latina was at home, she felt like she was walking on eggshells. Her father continued to be loving and supportive, but whenever she saw her mother, she felt an icy glare of disgust oozing off of her. Santana's mother had barely spoken two words to her since the incident and it didn't appear that she planned to anytime soon.

Santana still hadn't told Brittany about her feelings or the details of the fight with her mother. Although they had been hanging out a lot more since the incident, Brittany didn't pry or try to push Santana to talk about the night in question. Even though Santana desperately wanted to tell Brittany and end all of the secrets, the guilt she felt from her mother's hateful reaction scared her into silence.

After returning home from school one day, the surprised she received only solidified her choice to not tell Brittany.

As Santana put her backpack inside of her room, she noticed that one of the photographs hanging on the wall was missing. Upon examining the empty space further, Santana realized that the missing photo was that of her parents on their wedding day. Finding it odd that the picture just disappeared, she walks towards her parents' bedroom to see if anyone was inside. After lightly knocking on the door and receiving no response, she slowly creeps inside.

Once Santana enters the room, she's shock at what see finds. All of the drawers to her mother's dresser are open and empty. She then goes into the large walk-in closet, only to find her father's clothing remains. Santana quickly runs downstairs and into the garage, hoping that her mother's car is there. However, luck is not on her side.

Santana then calls her mother's cell phone, which goes straight to voicemail. Next, she tries to contact her mother at work. She is left dumbfounded when the receptionist tells her that Dr. Lopez no longer works at their hospital. At this point, Santana is panicking. Sure... her mother hasn't been the greatest mother over the past month, but... she was still her mom.

Santana then looks back at her phone and is about to dial her father's number when the door swings open.

"Mom?" Santana cries out.

"No, sweetie... it's me," Mr. Lopez announces. Santana immediately rushes over to her dad and wraps her arms around him. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"It's Mom... I think she's gone," Santana hesitantly says.

"What do you mean?"

"All her stuff is gone. I can't reach her on her phone and the hospital said she doesn't work there anymore," she tries to explain in a hurry.

"Wait... what? Slow down, sweetheart," Mr. Lopez says, grasping his daughter's arms.

"She's gone..."

As Mr. Lopez tries to make sense of what his daughter is saying, he sees something lying on the island of the kitchen. As he makes his way towards the island, he realizes that the item is a folded piece of paper.

_Benjamin,_

_I love you with all of my heart, but... I can't do this anymore. I've tried to accept this new "development" in our daughter's life, but I just can't. Maybe that makes me a terrible person and a horrible mother, but at least I'm being honest. I would never trade the years that we've spent together or the miracle of our daughter that you helped create. Tell Santana that I love her and I'm sorry. I wish that I didn't feel this way, but I can't help it. Please don't try to look for me. I hope that one day you'll be able to move on and forgive me. _

_Love always,_

_Maribel_

As a silent tear rolls down Mr. Lopez's eye, he crumbles the paper in his hand.

"Dad, what is it?" Santana questions.

"You were right," her father responds weakly as he wipes away the fallen tear. "Looks like it's just you and me kiddo..."

As Santana processes her father's words, her eyes start to well up. Mr. Lopez instantly embraces his daughter and coos into her ear, telling her that everything will be okay. Even though he didn't necessarily believe those words himself at that moment, he knew that he had to be strong for his daughter.

* * *

After the initial shock wore off, Mr. Lopez did a little research. He discovered that Maribel had taken out half of the money that was in their savings and had apparently resigned from her job a couple of weeks prior. The hospital was no help with any information about Maribel's possible whereabouts and would not disclose the address of any possible mail she received after she left. The real kick in the pants came when Mr. Lopez was served with divorce papers, stating "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

Although it angered him that his wife - _the woman that he thought he knew_ - would take such drastic measures to distance herself from her family and responsibilities, Ben never stopped being the best father that he could be to Santana.

Although Santana greatly appreciated her father's unconditional love and support, the guilt and anger she felt was building up inside. She couldn't believe that her mother would just up and leave like that, not providing any explanation to her at all. Even though Santana didn't know exactly what was written in the note left behind from her mother, she knew it couldn't have been anything good, based on her dad's reaction afterwards.

At school, Santana became more withdrawn and started hanging out with her friends less. Of course, she told Sam about her mom leaving because she had to tell somebody, but she was unsure of how to explain it to the rest of the group... especially Brittany.

Santana did as much as she could, helping out around the house and trying to find a job so that she could assist in paying some of the bills. Still, no matter what she did, nothing could take away the guilt she felt. Santana blamed herself for her mom leaving. If she had never found out about her feelings for Brittany, then maybe her mom would still be around and her family wouldn't be broken. No matter how many times Mr. Lopez assured her that this wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel responsible for ending her parents' marriage and being the cause of her father's unhappiness.

* * *

About a month after Mrs. Lopez skipped town, the school year was ending and Santana and her father sat down to have a long talk about the future. The conclusion they came to was not one that she liked at all, but she understood why it needed to be done and accepted it. With the impending changes that were about to take place, Santana knew that she could no longer keep this a secret.

On the very last day of Sophomore year, the gang decided to have a movie night/slumber party at Brittany's house. Everyone was there, including Quinn and Tina. Santana had missed the last couple of movie nights, due to the situation at home. With all of her friends gathered in one place now, she thought this would be a good time to get this boulder off her chest.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask Santana after we just finished watching The Avengers.

"Um, not really..." Santana responds back, immediately peaking my interest. "Can we talk for a sec?"

I nod my head and then grab her hand, leading her away from our group of friends and out onto the balcony.

"San, you're really starting to scare me. What's going on with you? You've been so distant lately..." I state with concern.

Santana takes a few deep breaths before finally answering me.

"My parents are getting divorced..."

"What?! Are you serious?" I reply in shock. As she solemnly nods her head, I continue. "You're parents have been together for like 20 years... that's crazy! I'm so sorry San."

As I pull Santana into my warm embrace, I can't help but wonder why she didn't tell me sooner. I mean, I couldn't imagine how she must be feeling right now, but at least she wouldn't have had to go through it alone. At least I understand why she's been so withdrawn lately.

"I wish you would've told me sooner," I whisper into her ear.

"Britt... there's more," Santana says as she takes a step back so that she can see my face. As my eyebrows scrunch in confusion, she continues. "With only one source of income now, my dad can't afford the mortgage and all the other bills by himself. He's been trying really hard for the past month to see if it was possible, but-"

"Wait... your mom's been gone for a month!" I accidentally interrupt her. "Santana, how could you not tell me? I'm your best friend... I would've tried to help or something."

"Brittany, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I've had a lot of shit on my plate lately. My family is broken... it's hard enough for me and my dad to try to keep everything together."

I really want to be mad at her for not telling me, but I can't be. That would just make me a selfish dick. Still, I wish she would've said something.

"So... what exactly does all of this mean?" I cautiously ask. I think I have an idea, but I'm really hoping that I'm wrong.

"My dad is selling the house. The realtor is coming by in the morning..." Santana softly says.

"Okay... that's okay; we'll still see each other every day. I can pick you up for school and drop you off afterwards," I reason, trying to remain positive about the situation.

I hadn't realized that I started pacing back and forth until Santana gently grabbed my wrist to stop me. As I look up into her watery eyes, a bad feeling creeps into my brain as I assume that she still has more to tell me.

"Britt... we're moving," Santana starts again.

"I know, but like I said... it's no biggie. We're still going to see each other every day," I say again, more so for my own sake.

"Brittany... we're moving to Seattle..."

As those words leave her mouth, I feel my whole body shut down. I can't believe what I'm hearing. I don't want to believe it. It can't be true... it just can't be.

"No... no, you're just moving to a more affordable place," I argue. "You're not going anywhere."

"There's an opening in my dad's company in Seattle," Santana tries again, but at this point, I can't really comprehend much else. "We'll be a lot closer to his parents. Plus, we both kinda need a fresh start... there's too many memories here."

"San, you can't leave... you just can't," I sob out as I throw my arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, Britt-Britt... I wish there was another way," she replies as her voice begins to crack. "I promise to call, text, or FaceTime every day. I'll come visit on holidays and before we know it, we'll be off to college together."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without you," I cry harder as I tighten my grip around her, ignoring her sympathetic words.

"You'll be fine... you still have the rest of the gang," Santana states, trying to make me feel better.

"They're not you, Santana... no one could ever be you," I sniffle out as she continues to just hold me.

Really, it should be me holding and consoling her. I can't help it though. My best friend just dropped this huge bombshell on me. She's had time to cope with it and sort out her feelings. As for me... this is all brand new.

_And it sucks!_

After spending a while outside, Santana and I finally make it back inside where all of our friends are waiting. As she slowly breaks the news to them, all of them appear to have similar reactions to mine. No one wants to believe it, but it doesn't make it any less true.

As everyone tries to reel in their feelings, I feel frozen in the background. This doesn't feel like real life... it can't be. Santana will probably find a new best friend and forget all about me. I know it's stupid and selfish of me, but I just don't want to lose her. Not only that, but now... I'll never know if Santana and I could've been something more.

Being 16 sucks... _ass!_

* * *

Halfway through summer break, the day I've been dreading finally arrives.

After throwing a going away party for the Lopezes, San's father leaves to pack up the rest of their belongings in the car before they make their journey to Seattle. As Santana individually says goodbye to each of our friends, the gang files back inside to give me and her some privacy.

"I can't believe that I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and you're not gonna be here," I whisper out as I feel my eyes start to water.

"I'll be back soon..." she softly replies, trying to ease my sadness. "I wish I could take you with me."

"Yeah, me too..."

"Before I forget," Santana begins as she reaches into her backpack to retrieve something, "I want you to have this."

As Santana hands me a very familiar royal blue hoodie, I can't help but be in awe by the sentiment.

"This is your favorite hoodie..."

"I know... I figured you could keep it warm for me until I get back," she shyly responds back.

"I will," I state firmly, trying to hold in my tears.

"You promise?" Santana says as she extends her pinkie towards me. I link mine with hers say "I promise" back to her.

"Sweetie... it's time to go," Mr. Lopez says from the car.

As Santana gives him a nod in acknowledgement, she pulls me into hug that I never want to be released from.

"Don't forget about me, okay?" Santana struggles to get out.

"I couldn't if I tried," I reply back with a shaky voice. "Call me as soon as you get there."

"I will. See ya Britt," she says as she gives me one final squeeze.

As I watch Santana walk towards her father's car, I tightly grip her hoodie closer to my chest. It's the only tangible thing I have of her at the moment. Once she reaches the car and places her hand on the door handle, she stops abruptly and drops her backpack. Santana then turns around and makes her way back towards my stationary position.

"Did you forget something?" I ask with questioning eyes.

"Um, yeah... I did," she whispers out.

Before I have a chance to respond, the whole world stops moving as I feel Santana gently grab the sides of my face with her hands and attach her lips to mine. My eyes open widely at the initial shock until they eventually flutter close. I can't believe this is actually happening right now.

Out if all of the times I've pictured this moment in my head, I never thought that it would really happen. I want to kiss her back so hard right now, but my body is completely frozen and rooted to this spot in front of the porch. All I can do is squeeze my eyes shut, grip the hoodie draped across my arms tighter to my body, and make some type of effort to move my lips with hers.

Santana's lips are so soft against mine that I almost forget where I am for a second. I've never felt so much love and tenderness from a kiss before, granted I've only ever kissed one other person in my life. But, no matter how many kisses I shared with Kelly throughout our 5 months together, I never felt half of what I'm feeling right now, being kissed by Santana.

As I feel the warmth of her lips disappear from mine, Santana leans her forehead against mine. I can tell that her heart rate has accelerated, based on how breaths are coming out all short and choppy. As I slowly open my eyes, I yell at myself internally for not being able to move or say anything. All I can do is look in Santana's beautiful mocha eyes through her glasses and try to dissect what's going on in that pretty little head of hers.

As San stares back at me, she finally opens her mouth to say something. I'm dying to hear her explanation on what just happened between us.

"I gotta go..." Santana says as she lifts up on her tippy toes and leaves a lingering kiss on my forehead.

Before I can say or do anything, Santana turns around, speed walks back to her father's car, and disappears from my sight. I'm left standing here, in the same spot and in the same position as before. My feet can't move and my eyes won't blink. I'm completely flabbergasted by this turn of events.

My best friend just kissed me. How am I supposed to sleep after experiencing that?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! Here's the second part of that chapter as promised. Hope you enjoyed both new chapters, even with all of the angst. I promise, the next chapter will be a lot lighter and happier. But hey… at least we've got our first kiss ;)


	9. Timing is Everything

It's been 4 weeks, 2 days, and 15 hours since I've seen or heard from Brittany.

It's been 4 weeks, 2 days, and 15 hours since I kissed my best friend and left town.

I don't even know why I did it.

Okay... _that's_ a lie.

I've wanted to kiss Brittany for so long. I've wanted to tell her about my inner most feelings for her, but because of events beyond my control... I couldn't. Honestly, I didn't know - and still don't know - when I'll see Brittany again. I'm afraid that she'll forget about me and move on with her life, leaving me behind (even though I'm the one that technically left). I'm afraid that I'll never see her again or get to hear the sound of her angelic voice. I'm afraid that I'll never get to link her pinkie with mine or hold her in my arms again.

As I got closer to my dad's car, all of those things were running through my head. Since I had already lost my mom and the place I called home for over a decade, in that moment... I felt like I had nothing left to lose. Even if Brittany didn't feel anything and never wanted to speak to me again, at least I could look back and say I tried. Even if I didn't have the guts to tell her how in love with her I am, at least I can say that my very first kiss was special because it was with the girl that meant the world to me.

True to my word, I called Brittany when we arrived in Seattle. She didn't answer. I called her the very next day as well. _Still no answer_. I called and/or texted Brittany every day after that, but still never received a response.

For 4 weeks, 2 days, and 15 hours, I've tried to get ahold of my best friend to no avail. I get it... she's pissed and doesn't want to talk to me. I've talked to my other friends to check in on them and they've all been saying the same thing... she just needs time.

Sam offered to talk to Brittany and even suggested that he tell her about my feelings to maybe open up the lines of communication between us. I told him that I appreciated it, but this would have to be something that I dealt with on my own.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, I asked Sam how things were going between him and Mercedes. It was sweet and endearing to hear him gush over the resident badass of our group. I'm really happy for both of them, even though I'm saddened by my lack of communication with Brittany.

As for the rest of the group, all of them seemed to be doing well with their significant others. Everybody's happy but me...

_Great... now I sound like a bad country song._

* * *

Brittany had been in a state of shock since the night Santana left. She was already incredibly sad that her best friend was moving away, but after that kiss... she was left even more confused about her own feelings. After that, Brittany became a little withdrawn and less talkative. It was clear that she had a lot on her mind, but clearly she wasn't ready to talk about it.

Brittany couldn't decipher what exactly the kiss meant, which drove her crazy. Did Santana have feelings for her? Or was the kiss some type of permanent goodbye? Whatever the reason for the kiss was, it angered Brittany that she could not discuss it face-to-face with Santana. It angered her that her best friend gave her the most amazing feeling in the world and then disappeared.

As much as Brittany wanted to talk to her Santana, she couldn't. She was still way too upset and confused to talk to the Latina about her feelings about the whole situation. As much as her friends and family tried to encourage her to at least call Santana back and hear her out, Brittany just couldn't fold that easily.

* * *

At the end of the first week of Junior year, Brittany arrives home after a short volleyball practice to find her mother waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Hey sweetie, how was your first week?" Mrs. Pierce ponders.

"It was okay," Brittany nonchalantly replies with a shrug of her shoulders.

Mrs. Pierce had started becoming used to Brittany's lack of words or feelings recently. She felt bad for her daughter and wanted to help her; she just didn't know how to. Mrs. Pierce knew that. Brittany was struggling with Santana being gone, but her daughter refused to open up.

"Santana called again..." Mrs. Pierce softly says.

Brittany's face remains unchanged as she grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"I think I'm gonna go start on my homework," Brittany replies, completing disregarding her mother's previous statement.

As Brittany turns to walk out of the kitchen, her mother lightly grabs her wrist.

"Honey... I know that you're hurting and probably really confused about this whole situation, but you can't just ignore it forever," Mrs. Pierce tries to reason with her daughter.

"I know you're right Mom... I just don't even know where to begin."

Seeing that this is the longest response that she has received from her daughter since Santana left, Mrs. Pierce decides that it's good enough and and releases Brittany's wrist.

Once Brittany is in the safety of her own room, she curls up on her bed, hugging a familiar hoodie closely to her chest. As she looks up towards the ceiling, watching the blades of the fan spin, she thinks about the words her mom just said to her. Refusing to talk to Santana had been the hardest thing Brittany has ever done, but she felt that she needed to do it. No matter how desperately she wanted to hear the sultry and raspy voice of her best friend, Brittany was still so angry at her for leaving the way she did.

As Brittany closes her eyes, she relives that very moment that her friendship with Santana drastically changed.

She remembers the tingling her lips felt as soon as they were pressed up against the Latina's. She remembers the shiver that ran through her body as Santana tightened her grip on her face to pull her closer. She remembers feeling Santana's hot breath on her lips as she broke their kiss. She remembers missing the warmth of her best friend as she walked away from her. She remembers the feeling of emptiness that rose as she watched Santana disappear from her very eyes.

The sound of a light tapping against her door breaks Brittany away from her deep thoughts. As Brittany looks up, she sees a blonde ponytail peeking through the doorway.

"Hey Britt... mind if I come in?" Lindsay asks.

"Sure," Brittany responds.

As Lindsay makes her way over to edge of the bed, Brittany sits up from her previous position.

"What are you up to?" Lindsay ponders.

"Nothing much," Brittany replies back. "How does it feel to be in high school now?"

"It's not too bad, I suppose," Lindsay answers with a shrug. "There are a lot more clubs and electives to choose from, but I'm back at the bottom of the food chain."

"That'll wear off after a while," Brittany assures. "Besides, you got me and my friends to look after you."

"Thanks, Britt... I appreciate that," Lindsay says as she playfully bumps into her sister's shoulder.

A small smile appears on Brittany's face. Since it's been quite a while since anyone's witnessed a smile on the blonde's face, Lindsay takes this as a good sign and seizes the opportunity.

"Y'know when you first came out, I didn't really care about you being gay. But, once you started dating and more people found out... I didn't like it," Lindsay starts off. As Brittany gives her a questioning look, the younger blonde continues. "I didn't like it cuz it started affecting ME negatively. Kids at school started teasing me and my so-called friends avoided me cuz they were afraid of "catching" the gay... their words, not mine."

"Linds... why didn't you ever say anything?" Brittany asks with a very concerned look.

"Cuz I sorta blamed you for all of it. I even wished that you would've stayed in the closet at one point," Lindsay admits. As Brittany's eyebrows scrunch up and a saddened expression appears over her features, Lindsay continues. "I know it was foolish and super selfish of me, but I couldn't help but be a little resentful. I felt like I was the one being punished for something that had absolutely nothing to do with me."

"Wow... I don't even know what to say to that," Brittany says aloud.

"You know the reason why I stopped being so stupid and selfish?" Lindsay asks. Once Brittany shakes her head no, she continues. "It was because of Santana..."

Once again, Brittany is unsure of what her sister is talking about or why she's even telling her about this.

"Santana reminded me of how brave and courageous you were to come out and be true to yourself," Lindsay picks back up. "She also showed me how ignorant kids are these days and why I shouldn't waste my time putting any weight into what they say."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Brittany finally asks.

"Because... Santana is the reason why I finally pulled my head out of my ass," Lindsay responds. "She's the reason why I decided not to let some stupid ass kids ruin my relationship with you because My life got a little harder."

Brittany doesn't say anything. Instead, she just continues to sit next to her sister with a faraway look on her face.

"Brittany... I know that you're still pissed at San for leaving the way she did, but please - for the love of God - will you stop being so damn stubborn and have a conversation with your best friend?!" Lindsay states rhetorically. "I know you miss her; for Christ sakes... you fall asleep every night clutching her hoodie like someone's gonna steal it away from you. In fact, you're doing it right now."

As Brittany looks down, she notices Santana's blue hoodie securely held against her body. Brittany is a little shocked at her sister's tone. She's also a little impressed by Lindsay's tact and insight for her age.

So far, Lindsay had been the only one to figure out how to tackle bringing up the whole Santana situation without being too forceful or direct. Lindsay was also the first person to call Brittany out on her stubbornness and challenged her to address her feelings.

"Look... it's okay to be angry and upset," Lindsay starts again. "Although the situation sucks, I'm sure that Santana had her reasons for doing what she did. There's probably a lot more to the story, but you'll never know unless you actually talk to her and really hear her out."

As the words sink into Brittany's brain, she lets out a long, exasperated sigh. She's tired of fighting the truth. She's tired of being angry. She's tired of not being able to see her best friend whenever she wants to.

"Sometimes I forget that you're only 14..." Brittany lightly chuckles out. "When did you get to be so smart?"

"Ah... it must be a Pierce thing," Lindsay smugly replies.

"Thanks for the pep talk, sis..."

"Anytime," Lindsay responds with a smile.

* * *

"_All the other kids with the pumped up kicks; you better run, better run... out run my gun_," I sing out loud as I play along on my guitar. "_All the other kids with the pumped up kicks; you better run, better run... faster than my bullet._"

"I'm guessing you're first week at school wasn't great..." I hear my dad say as he enters my room.

"Oh, hey Dad..." I greet him. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, nothing... certainly not hearing you singing about shooting up a school or anything," my dad sarcastically replies.

"Hehe... I guess I can see your point," I say back. "I promise, I don't have any intentions of "setting it off" at my school. I just really like that song... despite some of the disturbing lyrics."

"Okay, just checking..." my dad responds he playfully raises his hands in defense. "How do you feel about pizza for dinner?"

"I'd say you read my mind," I reply with a big smile.

"Cool, I'll go get the menu... after I use the potty first," he states.

"_Potty?_ Really Dad... you're like 40 something," I counter after hearing my father's childish reference. The man is truly just a big kid at heart.

As my dad shrugs his shoulders and makes his way to the bathroom, I hear a knock at the door. I then place my guitar down and head towards the front door, not bothering to look through the peephole to check whom was on the other side first. I figured it'd be okay to roll the dice since it was only a little after 6 in the evening.

As I open up the door, I'm immediately stopped in my tracks as the person on the other side of the door is revealed.

"Brittany..." I say barely above a whisper, still not believing my eyes.

As her eyes connect with mine, a slight smile flashes on my face. However, Brittany's face does not reflect that of mine. Instead, I see a look that appears to be of anger. As my smile slowly fades, I observe Brittany's right hand ball up into a fist.

Before I can process what's going on, I feel a harsh blow to my stomach. As all of the air dissipates from my body, I drop down to my knees to catch my breath.

I'm guessing she's still pissed off at me.

As I remain on the ground, Brittany picks up her bag and walks pass me, entering my apartment. At the same time, my dad is now entering the kitchen area, which is adjacent to the front door.

"Hey Mr. L," Brittany says as she passes my dad and takes a seat in the living room.

"_Brittany?_" My dad replies with a confused expression. As he turns his head and spots me on the ground, he rushes to my side to help me up. "Sweetie, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I cough a little through my response. "The greetings around here have really gone downhill..."

"Well, it's good to know she didn't knock the humor out of you," my dad jokingly replies. As he leads me to the couch, he turns his head to address the blonde in the room. "So, Brittany... what brings you to Washington?"

I appreciate my dad trying to make light of the situation, but I think he's just making things more awkward.

"Dad... would you mind giving us some privacy?" I ask him.

"Sure thing. How bout I go pick up some pizzas instead and you guys can stay here and talk?" He suggests. I carefully look over at Brittany and see her nod her head in response. "Okay, I'll be back in a little while. You guys gonna be okay?" My dad questions, raising an eyebrow in Brittany's direction.

"I promise to keep my hands to myself," Brittany says with a shy smile as she raises her hands.

"Okay then... I'll be back soon."

Once my dad grabs his keys and leaves the apartment, I look back over at Brittany. There's complete silence between us for several minutes. I want to say something to start a dialogue, but I'm not sure where to begin. I have so many things I want - no, need - to tell her, but I just can't find a place to start. I was so caught off guard by her sudden appearance that my mind has gone blank.

"I'm sorry for punching you..." she softly says, finally breaking the ice. "It wasn't my intention. I was actually really happy to see you, but then, the moment you left flashed through my mind and I felt all of my anger return."

"You don't have to apologize... I deserved it," I kindly reply. "I know you're still mad at me and probably really confused; that's my fault. I didn't mean to put a rift in our friendship because of my stupid decision. I shouldn't have left the way I did. I'M the one that should be apologizing to you."

"So, you didn't mean it then? It was a mistake... a momentary lapse in judgment?" Brittany questions.

I breathe in and exhale deeply. I guess I can't hide it anymore. As I reposition myself to sit on the coffee table in front of Brittany, I begin the conversation that's been long overdue.

"No, it wasn't a mistake... at least not on my end," I try to explain. "I'm sorry about all the anger and emotions that took place afterwards; I'm not sorry for kissing you though."

Brittany opens her mouth to respond, but no words come out. She appears to be deep in thought, pondering over exactly what she wants to say.

"So... why did you do it then?" Brittany inquires.

"I did it because it's something that I've wanted to do for a long time now," I slowly reply. "I spend so much of my time always doing the right thing and helping others get want they want so that they can be happy, but I never do that for myself. I know that it might've been the worst timing ever, but in that moment... I didn't care. For once in my life, I decided to be selfish," I continue. "Without fear of the consequences, I did what_ I_ wanted to do. And all I really wanted to do... was kiss you."

Brittany seems to be at a loss for words as her brain computes the information I just laid out on the table.

"Brittany..." I say, gaining her attention again, "... I have feelings for you. I'm just sorry that I couldn't tell you before now."

At this point, I feel like Brittany's mind is completely blown, based on her widening eyes. As she slumps further into the couch, I start to get a little worried. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all. On the other hand, it felt really good to finally get that off my chest. There's still so much more to tell her, but I don't want to overwhelm her with it all.

"I... I just..." Brittany starts to say, but she's not making a while lot of sense. "I don't even know what to say right now."

"You don't have to say anything..." I gently respond, letting out a defeated sigh. "You asked me a question and I gave you an honest answer. Besides, you deserved to know."

"How long have you felt like this?" Brittany questions.

"Honestly, I think it's always been there... it just wasn't apparent to me until you came out and started dating."

"_Oh_... is that why you didn't like Kelly?"

"No, that's not the reason," I respond with airy chuckle. "Kelly was superficial, high maintenance, and an uber bitch. She constantly objectified you, but never really appreciated your true beauty. She didn't deserve to breathe the same air as you, Britt."

As I finish my rant, I notice that Brittany's cheeks have turned a reddish color. I hope that I didn't embarrass her. Words just can't describe the disdain I have for her ex. If Brittany was my girlfriend, I would treat her like a queen.

"Y'know... she was cheating on me the whole time we were together," Brittany states more to herself than to me. "After we broke up, one of her buddies filled me in on that little tidbit."

"Are you serious?" I state in shock. "I know Kelly had more looks than brains, but I can't believe she would be stupid enough to cheat on you. I mean, _seriously_... what kind of moron do you have to be to mess around with trash when your girlfriend is the most beautiful girl in the world?"

I don't miss the way Brittany's blush moves from her cheeks up to the tips of her ears.

"Are you sure that her friend wasn't just messing with you on her behalf?"

"No... I wish he was, but I have firsthand knowledge," she states, causing me to become even more confused. "The night we broke up, she basically told me that I was a waste of time cuz she had tons of girls that she could call at any moment and they'd be down to "_fuck_". After that, I finally saw all of the blatant signs that were telling me that she was no good."

"I can't believe that back-stabbin' ho!" I grumble out in anger. "She better hope I never run into her again cuz I will rip that stupid little smirk right off her face!"

For a minute, I forget that Brittany is right in front of me. All I see is red. I can't believe that Kelly would do that to her. Brittany is the sweetest person ever. I knew that Kelly was shady, but I never thought she would intentionally hurt Brittany like that and just use her.

"Hey... what are you thinking about?" Brittany softly asks as she places her hand on top of mine.

My breath catches in my throat as I feel the warmth from her hand radiating against mine. Once she realizes the affect she's having on me, she slowly removes her hand from mine.

"Umm... I just feel like it's my fault," I finally respond. Not understanding completely, Britt gives me a nod to continue. "I knew that she was bad news and couldn't be trusted, but I never thought she'd stoop that low."

"What do you mean you _knew_?"

"The reason why Kelly never liked me was because she was threatened by our friendship," I start off. "Numerous times she accused me of being jealous and having feelings for you. I always denied it cuz at that point in time, I didn't think I did; I was just lying to myself though," I admit barely above a whisper. "Anyways, I guess she wanted to test me so somehow she got ahold of a song I wrote for you and passed it off as her own."

"Wait a minute... what song?" Brittany questions, feeling highly confused at this point.

"You remember that poem you said she gave you on your birthday?"

Brittany thinks back to several months ago when she received that very thoughtful gift from her then girlfriend. She thinks back to how she found it incredibly romantic and how it made her think that Kelly had a deeper level than she let anyone else see.

"So... you're telling me that _you _wrote that?" Brittany says incredulously. "You wrote that amazing song and Kelly just stole it and passed it off as her own?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because... I didn't want to admit that she was right, that I was jealous... that I had feelings for you. It was bad enough hearing it from Sam and Mercedes, but-"

"Wait... Sam and Mercedes knew about all of this?!" Brittany says, cutting me off.

_Man... this is gonna be a long night._

"Yes... they both knew about my feelings for you and what Kelly had done. They thought I should tell you, but I just couldn't..."

"That seems to be a reoccurring theme..." Brittany says under her breath.

"Brittany... I didn't tell you because honestly... I didn't think you'd believe me," I finally say aloud.

"San, you're my best friend... what would _ever_ make you believe that?" Brittany says, firmly grabbing my hand.

"I don't know... it just seemed like the closer you got to her, the further away you got from me," I solemnly state, looking down at our joined hands. "You seemed to be happy; I didn't want to ruin that by calling out your girlfriend."

Brittany doesn't say anything; she just nods her head along, taking everything in.

"When you guys first got together, I was jealous because I didn't get to see you as much. I felt like Kelly was stealing all of my BFF time," I chuckle out. "Eventually, I wasn't jealous of not seeing my best friend anymore; I was jealous of Kelly because _she_ got to _be_ with you. She got to experience parts of you that no one else has," I continue as I softly stroke my thumb against her palm. "Even after I saw Kelly's vindictive side, I wasn't gonna interfere if she's what you wanted. Despite my feelings and how much it hurt to see you with her, I just wanted you to be happy."

I gently pull my hand away from Brittany's and use it to wipe away the water forming in my eyes. I then wrap my arms protectively around my chest. I feel so vulnerable right now that I can't bear to look at Britt.

"I really wish you would've told me... about everything," Brittany says after a long pause.

"I wish you would've told me why you really broke up..."

"I guess we all have our reasons..."

"Yeah... I guess so," I reply as I finally look up to meet her eyes.

I briefly get lost in her cerulean orbs and begin to flicker back and forth from her eyes to her lips. I _really_ want to kiss her again, but that got me in trouble last time so I have to refrain. Thankfully, the sound of the front door and my dad returning with pizzas save me.

* * *

After dinner, we all decided to call it a night. After our earlier talk, I felt completely drained, but it felt good to let Brittany in on some of the things I've had locked up inside my head for nearly a year now.

After much deliberation, Brittany finally caved and decided to sleep in my room while I crashed on the couch. She felt bad because she was an _uninvited_ guest, therefore, she felt that she should be the one sleeping on the couch. After I told Brittany that she's always welcomed in my home, she finally accepted it and started getting ready for bed.

Once she was all set, we said our goodnight's and I headed towards the living room. Before I could leave, I had to know one thing... it was the only way I would be able to get any sleep after the long day I've had.

"Hey Britt..."

"Yeah, San?"

"Are you still mad at me?" I hesitantly ask as I sway back and forth in the doorway of my bedroom.

"No, I'm not mad anymore," she replies with a soft smile. "G'nite San..."

"Nite Britt," I say back. "Oh, and by the way... I missed you."

"I missed you too."

As I lay down on the couch, I feel like I can finally breathe again. After not hearing anything from Brittany for a month, it was nice to finally get to see and talk to her again. I know that tonight's conversation was just the tip of the iceberg. Tomorrow, I'm sure there will be even more questions. I just hope my answers don't scare her away.

* * *

When I awake the next morning, I decide to do something nice and cook breakfast for my dad and Britt. One by one, the smell of bacon draws both of them out into the kitchen.

After enjoying a nice meal with light conversation, all three of us wash up and head out so that we can show Brittany around our new town. After exploring some of sights of Seattle, my dad treats us to a nice lunch. Once the check comes, Dad lets us take his car as he takes a taxi home.

I then take Brittany to my new high school to show her around. As we walk through the hallways, she comments on how different and bigger my school seems in comparison to McKinley. After that, we idly chat about random stuff here and there. I tell her about a couple of new friends that I made, Blaine and his boyfriend Kurt.

Brittany appeared to be a little surprised when I talked about how cute they were together. I then explained to her that Washington in general was a very open place and that the kids at school didn't give the gay kids a hard time. This seemed to make her smile.

After the tour, we ended up at the bleachers by the football field. It was then that I knew the talk I had been dreading was finally coming.

"Do you remember when I asked you if you liked girls?" Brittany inquires.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I was wondering... is your opinion still the same?"

I'm not really sure where she's going with this but I humor her and play along.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"Have you liked anyone else besides me?" She asks as a follow-up.

"Nope... just you."

"So... does that mean you're gay now?" Brittany questions.

"I... I really don't know," I honestly reply. "All I know is that you're the only person that I'm interested in. Because you're a girl, if that makes me gay... then so be it."

My response seems to please Brittany.

"I guess I'm just confused..." she starts off. "If you liked me so much, how come you never said anything after me and Kelly broke up?"

"Because I was scared to," I say as I shrug my shoulders. "Besides, even if you remotely felt something for me... I didn't want to be your rebound."

"Fair enough..."

After that, there's silence between us for a while. I'm not sure what to say to her. I have so many questions of my own to ask her, but more than ever... I'm scared to.

Ever since she got here unexpectantly yesterday, we've done nothing but talk about my feelings for her. My cards are all sitting on the table. Some of them have yet to be revealed, but at this point, Brittany knows where I stand. I'm scared to ask her if she has feelings for me too because I think I already know the answer. I feel like if Britt had any type of feelings for me, she would've said something by now.

_It's not like she hasn't been given ample opportunities._

As much as I want to ask her, I don't. As long as I don't, then there's that air of mystery to it. I figure that if my heart's gonna be crushed, I'd rather wait until Brittany's back in Lima and not sitting a few feet away from me. It's almost like Schrodinger's Cat... until you open up the box, the cat can be thought of as dead and alive. As for right now, I'd liked to remain ignorant and unaware of the possible outcome.

"Why did your mom really leave?" Brittany bluntly asks, this breaking the silence.

I knew this was coming, but no matter how many times I rehearsed it in my head, it never gets easier.

"She left... because of me," I lowly reply, trying my best to hold back my tears.

"I don't understand," Brittany says with a look of confusion.

"My mom found out about my feelings for you and flipped out," I begin to say, fiddling with my glasses. "Apparently having a gay daughter - _or at least a __**not **__**so straight**__ daughter_ - is unacceptable to her."

"How did she even find out?" Brittany ponders.

"She overheard a private conversation I was having with Sam," I continue. "Afterwards, she confronted me about it and when I didn't deny it... she lost her shit. We ended up getting into this huge fight."

"Wait... was that the day you didn't come to school? Is that the reason why you were absent?" Brittany questions, starting to fill in the puzzle pieces.

"It's part of the reason..." I trail off. "When my dad came home the next morning, my mom was yelling at me again, telling me that I couldn't go to school and stuff."

"That's crazy... what does going to school have to do with anything," she rhetorically states.

"Anyways... my dad was already unhappy with what he had witnessed. Once I told him about my mom slapping me, he was livid."

"Wait... your mom slapped you?!" Brittany incredulously states. "Why the hell did she do that?"

"Because I called her a hypocrite," I simply state. "She always taught me about acceptance and not judging people because they're different. When she was doing the complete opposite of what she always told me, I called her out on it. Apparently she didn't appreciate that."

"Oh my God, San... I had no idea," Brittany sadly replies as she gently grazes my cheek with her hand.

I close my eyes for a moment and enjoy the feeling of Brittany's touch. As I exhale deeply, I cover Brittany's hand with mine and lower it so that our joined hands are resting on my lap. I'm tired of all of the secrets. I'm tired of question after question. I think it's time to just put it all out there and let the chips fall where they may.

"Brittany... the reason why my mom tried to keep me away from school is because she didn't want me to see you," I slowly say.

"_Seriously_... over some little crush?" Brittany scoffs. "Your mom is really off her rocker."

"It's more than that..."

"What do you mean exactly?" Brittany questions.

"I guess my mother needed someone to blame... and that person was _you_," I state cautiously as I see her eyebrows furrow. "She blamed you for _turning_ me gay and I blame myself for her leaving. I'm the reason why my parents' marriage over; I'm the reason why my dad is alone now... that's why I couldn't tell you any of this before."

I pull my hand away from Brittany's so that I can remove my glasses from my watery eyes. I never wanted her to see me like this, but I just can't hold it all in anymore.

"It's all my fault..." I mumble out as I bury my face in my hands. "My dad doesn't deserve this; he's been nothing but awesome and supportive, yet he's all alone now because of me and my stupid feelings."

"Shh... everything will be okay," Brittany coos into my ear as she embraces me and allows me to cry on her shoulder. She begins to slowly rock us back and forth as her grip around my waist tightens. "Your Dad loves you so much, San... I bet if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would do the exact same thing."

"You don't know how hard it was to come home that day to find all of my mom's stuff gone. And the look on my dad's face..." I sob out as I bury my face deeper into her shoulder. "She didn't have to just up and abandon her family just cuz I'm in love with you. We could've talked about it or something..."

"You're w-what?" Brittany stutters out as she stops rocking us back and forth.

"Huh?" I say as I peel my face away from her shoulder. As I study Brittany's features and the total look of shock that's present, my eyes widen in realization. "_Shit..._"

I then slowly scoot back on the bleachers, putting a reasonable distance between us.

"What did you just say?" Brittany carefully asks.

"I, uh..."

My words die on my lips. I have no idea what to say to her right now. Do I tell her the truth or do I just play it off like I said something else?

She wasn't supposed to find out this way. In fact, I wasn't even planning on telling her, especially after everything that's happened. I mean, seriously... what would be the point? Even by some snowball's chance in hell that Brittany liked me, - even just a little - she lives in Lima and I live in Seattle now. How would that even work? Long distance relationships hardly ever work out for adults. I can't even imagine trying to make that work between to 16 year olds.

Wait... I'm getting way too ahead of myself here. All of those are just a bunch of what if's that are probably not even plausible.

"Santana... please repeat what you just said," Brittany kindly asks.

_Lie or tell the truth... seems like I'm in quite the predicament._

"I said that... I'm..." I struggle to get out. I then take a long, deep breath, put my glasses back on, and hesitantly look back at her. "I'm in love with you, Britt..."

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I look away, not daring to look at her and see the expression on her face.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence passes, I cautiously look at Brittany using my peripherals. She seems to be lost in thought. Her mouth is slightly open and her eyes are a little bit wider than they were before.

As I silently sigh to myself, I feel a vast amount of emotions toppling over. I knew I should've just kept my big mouth shut. _God, I'm such an idiot!_

"It's getting late... we should probably get back," I state, my voice void of emotion.

Brittany opens her mouth a little wider to respond, but instead decides to nod her head in affirmation. Once we get back to my dad's car, the drive back to the apartment seems so long and endless. When we finally arrive, we all awkwardly sit around the dinner table and enjoy the pasta that my dad made while we were out.

* * *

As night time falls, I quickly say my goodnight to Brittany and exit the bedroom before giving her the opportunity to say anything back. Sleep eludes me for a couple of hours after I lay my head down. How can I sleep knowing that I spilt my heart out to Brittany and was met with nothing but silence afterwards? I get being shocked, but to not say anything at all... well, that pretty much says everything I need to know.

After a few more unsuccessful hours, my eyes automatically squint when an unknown light source filters into the living room from the kitchen.

"Dad?"

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing up?" My dad responds as he takes a swig of his glass of water.

"Haven't been to sleep yet," I reply.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He sweetly asks. All I can do is shrug my shoulders. "I'm guessing things didn't go so well with Brittany? You barely said 2 words since you got back."

"I told her everything..."

"And what did she say?"

"Nothing," I solemnly reply. "I told her I was in love with her and she said nothing."

"Oh, sweetie... I'm sorry," my dad says comfortingly as he sits beside me on the couch.

"It's not like I was expecting her to say it back or anything," I begin to say, trying not to get worked up again. I think I've cried enough tears about everything. "I don't know... I guess I expected her to at least say something."

"I know that you may not want to hear this right now, but you'll get over this," my dad starts to say. "It may take some time, but eventually you'll move on and meet someone else that you'll be absolutely crazy about and they'll feel the same way too. You're still so young and have your whole life in front of you."

I knew my dad was just trying to help, but I didn't want to get over Brittany. I didn't want to meet someone new and fall head-over-heels for them. I wanted Brittany... even if she didn't want me back.

But, ya know what... if my dad can wake up every morning and continue living his life after all that's happened to him with my mom, then so can I.

"You're right Dad... I really didn't want to hear that right now," I sarcastically reply, "but I know you're right. I appreciate that."

"Anytime sweetie, anytime..." he replies as he gets up from the couch and kisses the top of my head. "Get some rest."

As my dad makes his way back to his room, I let his words resonate throughout my brain. Now that Brittany finally knows everything, maybe I will finally be able to move on. Little by little, I feel my eyelids start to get heavy until they eventually close. Tomorrow, Brittany will be heading back to Lima, armed with all of this new information.

_So... what does that mean for our friendship?_

* * *

After only getting a few hours of sleep, I get up and prepare to take Brittany to the airport. The ride is silent, much like it was yesterday after we left the football field. I have nothing left to say and really, anything that she could possibly say now probably wouldn't make a difference.

As I find a suitable spot to park in the parking garage, I carry Brittany's small suitcase inside until we reach the check-in line.

"Well... I guess this is it," I say in a monotone voice as I place her bag beside her feet. "Have a safe flight."

"Santana..." she pleads as she reaches out to grab my arm.

I subconsciously take a step back, as if her touch would burn me. I don't miss the hurt look in her eyes. It wasn't intentional, but my emotions are so raw right now.

"Please... just don't," I whisper out apprehensively. "I just..."

I can't even look Brittany in the eye or finish a complete thought. I just wanna run back to my car and hide.

"Santana... I know that I didn't exactly handle yesterday... well, great... but I really want us to be okay," Brittany pleads.

"We will be..." I lowly state, "I just need a little time."

"I understand... can I at least hug you goodbye?" Brittany timidly asks. "I just... I don't know when I'm gonna see you again."

I contemplate my answer for a few seconds before I hesitantly nod my head. As Brittany takes a step forward and carefully wraps her arms around me, I feel my whole body shut down as her scent invades my nostrils. It takes a minute before my body comes back to life and I reciprocate the hug. I can't help but squeeze her tightly and deeply inhale the smell of coconuts emitting from her hair.

I'm not sure when I'll see her again, especially after all of this. If this is the last time, then I want to make sure I remember ever bit of her touch, her smell... her everything.

"Please let me know when you get home," I slowly speak as I untangle myself from her.

"I will," Brittany replies back. "Bye San..."

"Bye Britt..." I respond, finally looking into her eyes before I turn around and walk away from her again.

This feels different from the last time I said goodbye to her nearly a month ago. This time feels more final and definite. I know that me and Britt will always be friends no matter what; however, I also know that our friendship will never be the same.

As I find my way back to my car, I lean against the passenger side and slide down until I'm sitting on the dirty ground. I bring my legs to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I feel so overwhelmed and disappointed that I don't know what to do with myself. As I rest my head against my knee, I try to think back to how I ended up in this position.

I don't know how long I had been sitting here for, - maybe just a few minutes - but I quickly raise my head as soon as I feel a presence beside me. Once my eyes connect with blue ones, accentuated by long blonde hair, I feel a little bit shocked, but also a little relieved.

"B-Brittany... what are you doing here? You're gonna miss your flight."

"I couldn't leave things like this... not with you thinking that I don't care about you," Brittany seriously states as she mirrors me by sitting on the ground with her back against the car.

"Well, what am I supposed to think?" I questioned her.

"This whole time you've been so open and honest, but you never asked me how I felt about you or this entire situation," she retorts.

"What would've been the point?" I ask in return. "I _literally_ put my heart on the table; your lack of any sort of response said everything I needed to hear," I state as I look away from her.

"Santana... I didn't say anything at first because my head was still trying to process everything," Brittany begins. "For the first time in months, we had a long, meaningful conversation. But when you started telling me about your feelings and all that stuff about your mom, I felt like a terrible friend for not noticing something sooner..."

I want to be mad at her. I want to interject, but she's finally opening up to me so I don't want to say something that will make her shut down.

"... and then when you let it slip out about being in love with me, I absolutely lost it," she continues. "My whole relationship with Kelly left me so confused that I doubted myself at times and whether there was something I could've done to make her not cheat on me..."

"Britt... Kelly was a no good, stupid ho," I say in all seriousness. "If she was crazy enough to let you go, then that's gotta tell you that she's not right in the head cuz you're damn near perfect."

I see a slight blush form on Brittany's face as her lips tug upwards in a small smile. I love making her smile, but that doesn't take away from all of the hurt I feel.

"San... I said all of that to say this," Brittany picks back up as she grabs my chin and forces me to look at her. "After Kelly, I had to take a step back and really figure out who I was again because I feel like I wasn't the real me when I was with her. I feel like I jumped in so fast and settled for her because I was never gonna get what I really wanted..."

"And what's that?" I ask lowly as she stares at me intently.

Brittany briefly studies my face before responding. I see her eyes flicker downward until she's staring back into mine again. "_You..._"

"Me?" I question as my eyebrows furrow, "what do you m-"

Before I can finish my sentence, I feel Brittany's hand grip my face tighter as her head juts forward and her lips collide with mine. My eyes quickly flutter close as I raise my hand on her cheek to deepen the kiss. I feel like I'm on a high right now as our lips move perfectly in sync with each other; almost like we've been doing this forever. This all feels like a dream. If it is, I dread the moment I have to wake up.

As we finally break apart, I feel my heart palpitating faster than it ever has before. As I feel her heavy breath hit my face, I slowly open my eyes to the sight of foggy lenses. I then feel Brittany's hand shift as she pushes my glasses up so that they are resting on top of my head.

"I don't want you to move on and fall for somebody else," Brittany genuinely states. When I give her a questioning look, she continues. "I kinda overheard your conversation with your dad this morning. I'm so sorry for ever making you feel that way because... I'm in love with you too."

My eyes suddenly widen at her admission. _Is she being for real... or am I being Punk'd?_

"I know that I should've said something yesterday, but I was just so caught off guard. This whole time I've been operating under the assumption that you were straight and that you could never feel the same as me, despite how many times our friends tried to convince me otherwise," she further explains. "Honestly, the only reason why I went after Kelly is because you told me to. After that, I was for sure that you had no interest in me."

I had no idea that Brittany felt like this. A part of me is totally relieved to know that I'm not completely crazy in how I've been feeling about her. The other part of me is sad to know that she's been holding onto all these emotions for so long, thinking that it was me that didn't like her. I'm also a little pissed off with myself to know that it was me that pretty much pushed her into Kelly's arms.

"Even when I was with her, I couldn't stop thinking about you," Brittany continues on. "I was still so scared and confused that I just kept fighting how I truly felt about you. I mean, how do you tell your best friend of 10 years that you're in love with them?"

"Like that..." I respond as I lean in and remove the space between our lips.

Brittany wastes no time in reciprocating the kiss as she grips my face tighter. A quiet moan emits from my throat as I feel Brittany's tongue graze my bottom lip. My brain feels like it's about to explode. As she lightly bites my lip and begins tugging at it, I graciously open my mouth and let her in. Once our tongues finally make contact, I feel my eyes rolling in the back of my head.

_Holy shit... I'm totally making out with Brittany! This is awesome!_

After a few minutes, I feel like I'm about to faint due to the lack of oxygen traveling to my brain. I think Brittany's starting to feel it to because our kiss is becoming kinda sloppy now. As we slowly break apart, a lazy smile forms on my face.

"_Wow…_" I breathlessly say.

"That's all I've been thinking about since you left," Brittany bashfully admits.

I hate to ruin this magical bubble that we're in, but someone's gotta ask the obvious question.

"So… what does this mean?" I inquire. "Like, what happens now?"

"I… I don't know," Brittany genuinely replies as she lowers her hand from my face and intertwines her fingers with mine. "But… I know I want _this_," she says as she motions between our bodies with her free hand. "I don't know if that's even possible or how that would even work, but I know that I don't want anyone else. I know that we're still really young and even thinking about a long-distance relationship is totally crazy…"

"You're not really making me feel any better about this situation," I cut in.

"I know, I'm sorry… I'm rambling," Brittany carries on. "What I'm trying to say is… be my girlfriend?"

Again, I'm briefly at a loss of words. This day is not going at all like I expected it to. It's scary… but in a good way.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" I question.

"Both?" Brittany cutely responds. "So… whataya say?"

"Uh… hell yeah!" I reply as if it's the most obvious answer in the world.

As Brittany grins widely and begins to lean in, I smile as soon as our lips meet again. This time, our kiss isn't as long or deep. As we break apart, I've never felt happier in my life. It's only now that I realize what Brittany's wearing.

"You're wearing my hoodie," I say in a bit of shock. I guess I didn't really think about it before because she certainly wasn't wearing it when I left her at the check-in line. I must admit though… it looks damn good on her.

"Well, you did tell me to keep it safe…" she responds cheekily. "I'm glad that we finally got all of this sorted out."

"Yeah, me too…"

"I hate to do this, but… I really have to go now," Brittany sadly says. "I told you my flight was earlier so that I would have time to talk to you."

"How'd you know I'd still be here though?" I question.

"_Because…_ I know you," she cockily responds. Usually I'm not a fan of anything arrogant related, but on Brittany… I don't mind.

"_Anyways_…" I say as I playfully roll my eyes, "let's get home."

As I stand up and dust the dirt off my backside, I lend my hand to Brittany to help her up. Once she's on her feet, I link our hands together and walk her back towards the entrance of the airport. As we stand at the end of the security line, we tightly embrace.

"I miss you already," Brittany whispers into my ear. "I wish I could stay longer."

"Me too…" I sincerely state. "Do you think this could really work?"

"Santana… I've never doubted anything when it comes to you."

My heart melts at her words. I smile softly as I place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Call me when you land."

"I will…" Brittany replies as we finally untangle ourselves from each other.

As she steps in line and more people gather behind her, there's just one more question I want her to answer.

"Hey, Britt…" I say, gaining her attention once more.

"Yeah, San?"

"That night at the party…" I trail off.

"Yes… I was jealous, _okay_…" she says exasperated. "There… are you happy now?"

I don't say anything back. All I do is smugly smile back at her and blow her a kiss goodbye. Again, she playfully rolls her eyes at me knowing that victory was mine.

* * *

Once I make it back to my car, the drive home is filled with nothing but happy thoughts of Brittany and our future… _together_. Just as I'm pulling into the parking spot that's been designated for our apartment, my phone goes off, alerting me to a new message.

**From Britt-Britt:** _I made through security with no hassles, but now the flight attendant is staring daggers at me…_

**To Britt-Britt:** _How come?_

**From Britt-Britt:** _Probably cuz I'm not supposed to be on my phone right now_

**To Britt-Britt:** _Well, ya silly goose… get off the phone then_

**From Britt-Britt:** _Fine… you win ;)_

**To Britt-Britt:** _Awesome… I like winning ;)_

**From Britt-Britt:** _I love you, Santana! (That's all I really wanted to say)_

**To Britt-Britt:** _I love you too, Brittany! Have a safe flight_

With that last text, I finally exit the car and make my way towards my apartment. I can't help the goofy looking grin that has been plastered to my face since I left Brittany at the airport. I don't know how this is going to work, but Brittany loves me. Right now… that's all that really matters to me. Everything else will work itself out.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! Sorry for the _very_ long chapter, but I just couldn't find the heart to split it up. Hope you all still enjoy it though. I have to take a short break from the story so that I can finally finish _**You and Me**_. After that, I'll be back to this story. Thanks again for all of the reviews, likes, and follows!

-Kris

**Songs Used:**

_**Pumped Up Kicks**_ by **Foster the People**

**Disclaimer: **I own **NOTHING** (but all of the mistakes that will eventually be fixed).


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